family and friends. My favorite was the year we decorated a friend’ s royal blue VW Beetle with a huge red check on the side to match his yard signs that read“ Oliver for Prosecutor.”
Starting in 2000, our sons became part of parade day even before they could walk. We pushed them in strollers as part of the Nashville United Methodist Church“ Lawn Mower Almost Precision Drill Team,” a performance that was a big hit with the crowd.
Later, parade day for the boys meant creating the Cub Scout float with Dad or walking with their T-ball team. In high school, our youngest son proudly kept the high school marching band in rhythm with his drumbeat while I ran alongside taking photos.
Cindy Steele’ s photos from last year’ s parade.
On other parade days we were stationed on the Village Green selling biscuits and gravy at the Boy Scout Auction or assembling pulled pork sandwiches for Mother’ s Cupboard.
Parade day brings up happy memories of my dad. Lion Stu relished parade day like no one else. Folks would do a double take seeing him first carrying the Lions Club banner at the start of the parade and again as a flag bearer at the end.
My husband, Lion Jim, continues the family tradition this year, marshalling the floats before the parade steps off.
Join us on May 3 to celebrate. •
May / June 2025 • Our Brown County 51