Monday, June 13, 2011

Planning a parade

A good friend of mine is event coordinator extraordinaire. She organizes multiple events throughout the year – rain, snow or sun – with artists, musicians, community groups and more. She puts on concerts, festivals, farmers markets, public art displays, outdoor curling bonspiels... Makes me often wish that I lived in Kitchener/Waterloo.

I, however, am not an event coordinator. For starters, I am an introvert. I don’t think anti-social people make good social planners. For second, I do not have a mind for the details. Carrying off a good event means managing all the 101 little details – 98 of which I am likely to forget about/be unaware of.

But sometimes my impulsiveness gets the best of me and I recently found myself suggesting that I organize an event. And then, since I wanted it to be a success, I told people about it and encouraged them to tell others. And before I knew it I have an event on my hands that I am now racing to coordinate. Again, I wish I lived in K/W and could tap in the genius of my friend. She would know what to do.

It was so simple to being with: have a parade.

The idea had been circulating in my head for awhile – planted by an episode of Sesame Street (and Elmo’s ‘little furry red monster parade’) and a trip to the Children’s Museum at Easter in which M and I happened to get swept up in a bunny parade – something she still talks about. Why not organize a parade in our little neighbourhood?

Then there’s been all this business of the community fighting for the park and pathway that’s across the street from our house. We’ve managed to stop the developers from cutting through our pathway, but the battle continues to get the developers to be reasonable about height and density. So why not make the parade a celebration of our pathway and a fundraiser for the community OMB appeal?

Then we need something happening at our arrival destination. Bubble party perhaps?

And then perhaps a bake sale/coffee/lemonade to tie into fundraising for the appeal?

This could either go very well and be great fun, or be a humiliating disaster.

1 comment:

  1. “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.”

    Ralph Waldo Emerson.

    Your parade is going to be awesome! What a great idea!

    ReplyDelete