Each year in November, for as long as I can remember an event takes place in a small community in the Piedmont area of North Carolina. The Annual Christmas Parade held in High Point, North Carolina, is a spectacular festival. When a newcomer watches the parade with its grandiosity, surely they must wonder if someone forgot to tell the parade planners this was not some luxurious metropolitan worthy of such a Grand Exhibition.

In the fall, an excitement begins to build within natives of the Piedmont Triad. They all know that November is the time for the Christmas Parade. The parade has become a gateway event signaling that Christmas has almost arrived. The Parade starts our countdown to the big day itself.

Many businesses close early, so that everyone can prepare for the evenings festivities. The parade starts at sunset, but hoi polloi start lining up on Main Street early in the afternoon. Anyone driving downtown in the afternoon would notice the ant like columns of teenagers and the elderly making their way to the epicenter of the parade. Those few blocks of Main Street on either side of the Radisson Hotel are prized territory. Everyone tries to get there early, so as not to miss anything. This is a day when being an early bird rewards you with a front row seat to the nights entertainment.

The event itself only lasts for a few hours. In those few hours witnesses are thrilled, dazzled, mesmerized, and for a brief moment taken away from all angst of day-to-day living. Grandparents and Grandchildren both amused by the antics and gestures of the clowns, of which there seems to be a never-ending supply.

The event features an enchanting array of characters; there are the clowns in their absurd costumes. The animals are dressed with apparel from the clowns wardrobe. There are the midgets in their surreal vehicles. These miniature vehicles easily weave in and around their full size brethren.

The floats are some of the best to be seen anywhere. They are adorned with red velvet and ruffled skirts that flows over the edges. The floats are pulled by either Gods beasts or man-made beasts with roaring V-8 engines that pull these small stages with ease.

There are signs of Duty, Honor, and Glory throughout the festival. Vendors sell small versions of Old Glory, which soon spread throughout the crowds. The flags are held proudly by the oldest Generation and the youngest. There are small contingents of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines from previous wars marching in formation. The World War II veterans group gets smaller and smaller each year. Veterans from the Greatest Generation are dying at alarming rates. The Vietnam Veterans are proud, but some still look haunted by that terrible war that still haunts our Nation. Watching the veterans march by is the most sobering moment of the parade.

The air is filled with a buffet of aromas for the nose to sample. There are the sweet smells of cotton candy and candy apples. The smells are so sweet that even the most die hard dieters reach for their currency. Then there are the smells of popcorn made fresh on the front of bicycles equipped with mini popcorn makers.

The entire parade is a spectacle to behold, but we are there to see the last event. The event is called the battle of the bands. Marching Bands from Central and Andrews High Schools have a competition this night. The battle is full of fluff and pageantry. The fans from both sides cheer for their band! The bands highlight their musical skills, dance skills, and showmanship.

The parade is now officially over, the die-hard fans are all that remain. The masses return home with souvenirs and food in hand. The parade will be a topic of discussion for a few days.

For those of us that leave this small city and go on to other places the parade will provide us with cherished memories of home and simpler times. The parade gave us all a much-needed second wind, and it reminded us of the things that are important in life: family, friends, and community.

(c) 2006, Marcus Barber