For the 4th of July, I packed up my Independence Day outfit, got out of town, and ate my first corn dog.
Corn dog!
This came about because my gorgeous sister, Terri Berry, and her family just moved to Indiana. When I realized they would be there for the holiday, my immediate thought was, “I bet that’s a good place to have a corn dog at a parade.” I was right! Not only were there corn dogs, but the local parade was like one of Stefon’s clubs: It had everything. There were World War II vets, vintage cars, fire engines, marching bands, a beauty queen, a (Democratic) state senator, balloons on sticks …
… a bunch of Rotary Club members riding a giant bike …
… babies being kissed …
… and, of course, lion dancers.
Yeah, you might normally associate lion dancers with Chinese New Year, but this was a wonderfully multi-cultural celebration of America, and the local Chinese arts and social clubs were well-represented. Here’s another one of Chinese dance groups on video, and, as a bonus, you can hear the two announcers who bantered throughout the parade. (These dancers hadn’t gotten into position yet, so the announcers were still discussing the Spider-Man guy who was right in front of them.)
There were fireworks at night and children who were allowed to stay up way past their bedtime to “watch” those — though really they were too busy chasing each other around with glowsticks to watch anything.
As for the corn dog, it wasn’t as life-changing as I hoped, but I’d eat one again next year.