Community Joy

Kenwood's tiny parade

“All I wanna do is have some fun, I got a feelin’ I’m not the only one” - Sheryl Crow

Well then, let’s have some fun now, shall we?

Good clean fun

As I mentioned last week, typically my stories are about joy and wonder. And while there is plenty to be concerned about regarding the leadership and direction of our fabulous country, that doesn’t mean we can’t just have some plain old fun with flags, parades, and whatnot.

Flag-waving before the show

Kenwood is a small town here in California. You might not realize there’s even a town with that name, although you may be familiar with Kenwood Vineyards. They make a whole lotta love juice, estimated at 500,000-600,000 cases of wine each year. Call it 7,000,000 bottles, more or less. And they are just one of 14 wineries listed on the Wiki page for the town.

Local version of a political statement

Meanwhile, at the last census in 2020 a whopping 852 people were discovered living here. When they celebrate the 4th it’s a modest, quirky, family affair.

I am certain people’s views here are disparate, because while California is politically “blue” overall, its agrarian communities have been pretty uniformly “red” over the years. However, I have no idea what the peoples’ political differences were on this day, because none were on display.

Which, in my mind, is an absolutely perfect way to celebrate our home and our nation. Just give me some color and kids and get on out there, all of us being one big family.

Any kid with a bike is welcomed to join the parade in Kenwood, it’s part of the deal

All ages welcomed.

And all kinds of vehicles, too. From pristine, classic cars:

To, uh, not so pristine, older vehicles…

With a (literally) huge nod to Cal Fire, who arrived complete with bulldozer in tow. I think the loudest cheers and applause were delivered for the firefighters who participated. Deservedly.

And of course, a good parade always provides a chance to dress up:

Formal wear

Informal

Full play mode

And just spread the joy all around

Bubbles for everyone!

Paraders tossed candy, and even the young’uns shared

The Grand Marshall and Junior Marshall. Succession plans are so important!

And so, this was the kind of event that couldn’t help but bring smiles.

Smiling from beneath flags:

And behind them:

This is America. The beautiful.¹

Until next time,

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For more, see my new book, WILD GOOSE, A Suburban Wonder. Click the black button, top center.

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1. For any cynics who might be reading - I realize this was a very caucasian affair. There were a handful of black, asian, and hispanic people in the parade and in the crowd, but not many. I can assure you, though, that everybody was welcomed regardless of skin color, and I can also assure you that politically the crowd was not homogeneous. Many of the attendees lean wayyyyyy to the left and others lean wayyyyyy to the right. It didn’t matter. And in that way, for me, it was America the Beautiful.