Somewhere in Time, Unlimited presents: Leavenworth Autumn Leaf Grande Parade September 24, 2010 |
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To
understand the images, a few things must be explained first.
Leavenworth, Washington is a delightful small city which has
re-invented itself by adopting a Bavarian theme for its buildings,
celebrations, and marketing. Members of Somewhere in Time,
Unlimited (SITU) LOVE to go there for the various celebrations as it
is only about 2 hours due east of Seattle. I digress. SITU had been vetted and we were invited to participate in the Grande Parade, the last Saturday of September, 2010. We always borrow the beautiful red Dodge truck from our real estate friend, Cameron West (of Prudential Mike West Realty), to use for banner display, have some members riding up on the back of the truck, etc. It was on our way literally over Stevens Pass that morning of the parade, the word came down that the driver who was to drive Cameron's truck would NOT be available. Oh dear.... Fortunately, Lady Victoria (of SITU fame) had a young cousin (Tim Brauer) visiting from Frankfurt Germany. He graciously stepped in to fill the void! Of historical significance, November of 2010, would be the centennial of the Women's Right to Vote. Female SITU members dressed as suffragettes and even had the assistance of a few husbands, willing to walk the route with them. Thus, begins our colorful story and vibrant images we wish to share... |
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The "staging area" for the parade is near the high
school in town. Parking is ideally off-site. |
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Here is Tim Brauer, getting the truck ready with all the
bunting and decorations. Tim hadn't planned on participating in the actual
parade. His role was initially going to be from the Lady Victoria had fortunately packed an extra set
of suspenders and a Boater Hat. These were then That's one way of recruiting new members... |
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Ha! Now here's a photo we're sure your young
friends in Germany will appreciate! |
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A myriad of floats, bands, drill teams, animals,
etc. |
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Before we knew it, it was "go time" and we began rolling down the streets of Leavenworth.
Tim Brauer of Darmstadt Germany (near Frankfurt)
looks like "Mr. Joe Cool" |
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This is a photo of
Countess Cassimira, decked out in autumnal "gold", carrying a small
parasol and a vote encouraging other suffragettes to vote! You will notice that our red truck has been festively decked out with bunting (hood of truck) and flag pendants which are flying in the mid-day breeze.
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Here we see Sir Harry of Essex striding along side the truck as it goes down the street. Carrying a red parasol and sign, is Miss Gayle. |
The delightful Miss Marion looks fresh as a daisy in the shade of her large hat! For a day where the temperatures are going to exceed 80F, it is a good thing we begin the parade early! |
Miss
Kathy (of Realm of Regalia fame) looks like she stepped out of
history's pages. In the background, Miss Susan is walking "Topper", Lady Victoria's Cocker Spaniel. |
We
LOVE your sign Miss Kathy. So inspirational! |
Miss Candice looks regal in her position of honor
on the back of the truck. |
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Miss Gayle holds her sign and parasol high |
After we left the quiet security of the
neighborhood streets near the high school, |
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Miss Marion mugs prettily for us... |
Arsenio and Noah are closely followed by Miss Susan is colorful hat. |
These suffragettes stride confidently along the route. They appear to be quite the show stoppers! |
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When SITU members began walking in parades several years ago, Lady Victoria would bring along her Pomeranian. He has always been a crowd-pleaser. People would run out from the curbside to take photos. The little SITU mascot
"Willy" is at approx. 16 yrs old,
Oh yes, Kaiser Willy is always "ready to roll!" |
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Due to the heat and trying to give relief to elderly Willy and
all-black Topper, Lady V takes a short-cut off the route, down to
the secondary street, only one block away. The rest of the parade is going to
make a wide turn off Hwy 2 onto this back-road which will join up with Lady V and Sir Harry are seen assuring Willy |
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Lady Victoria sets up her camera to take a few photos of SITU members as they come down the street. |
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Over the height of the drill team ahead, |
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Visible at the far right, is one of our photographers,
Stuart. |
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Now Lady V and Willy can step back into line!
The truck passes. |
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A quick consultation and the group moves on again.
We rounded the bend and climbed the short slope as we headed to the main throng of people...
We can see the masses straight ahead. This is where we
would see the crowd, 4-6 people deep.
After we made it through the route downtown, we faced the slope
going back to the high school.
We quickly changed out of our costumes and into clothing more
appropriate for the heat of the day.
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This
was a talented group of men playing German "Blasmusik" which loosely translates to brass horn music, something most people recognize as "Um-pah-pah" type music. |
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Several of us found a quiet spot down an alleyway where we could sit
and eat a quick snack. Lady V had pre-packed sandwiches and treats. The Countess Cassimira brought along delicious fruits and fresh salsa dip. Tim had found his own adult beverage to enjoy on this hot day! |
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Sir
Harry decided to rest on the steps leading up to a small hotel. |
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After lunch, several SITU members wandered about town. |
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To the left of the bandstand, artists had set up their tents to display their work. | Across the Front
Street from the artists and bandstand, one sees the colorful building façades. |
Some observers were too sleepy to keep up. | Lady Victoria of Essex & Topper pause for pix! |
Sir Harry & Tim are catchin' some rays... | Countess Cassimira in a beautiful setting. |
"Joe Cool" in Leavenworth, Washington USA |
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Sir Harry enjoys a quick smoke on the way home. |
Our carpool stopped for a quick burger at this delightful restaurant. |
Tim asked to posed in front of this muscle car. |
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The Essex's vehicle is a German performance machine, |
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Our happy troupe crossed the Cascade Mountains westward back to the city of Seattle. We left Leavenworth with the satisfaction of having brought joy to many along the parade route. Our day in town was well spent shopping, eating, enjoying music and each other's company. We'll do this again next year! |
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If you'd like to know more about this fun, historical costuming
group or would like to see what else we are up to, please visit our Homepage! You can check out the Calendar, Upcoming Events, browse Prior Events, and see what Workshops are coming up too. Looking forward to seeing you at our next gathering!
Updated July 3, 2011 |
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