Somewhere in Time

Somewhere in Time, Unlimited presents: Leavenworth Autumn Leaf Grande Parade September 24, 2010
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...
The "staging area" for the parade is near the high school in town. Parking is ideally off-site. Here, we see Arsenio & wife Susan (carrying a chair) as they stroll with pooch, Noah. Sporting a red parasol, we see Miss Candice coming toward us. She will be riding in a seat of honor aboard the truck today!
	Here is Tim Brauer, getting the truck ready with all the bunting and decorations. Good thing he had lots of energy! Tim hadn't planned on participating in the actual parade. His role was initially going to be from the sidelines. Of course, we all know about "the best laid plans of mice and men." Lady Victoria had fortunately packed an extra set of suspenders and a Boater Hat. These were then called into action, so Tim would be in theme with the group. That's one way of recruiting new members...
Ha! Now here's a photo we're sure your young friends in Germany will appreciate!
A myriad of floats, bands, drill teams, animals, etc. made for a colorful parade.
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" as he leads the group of historical costumers on their merry way...
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.

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. She played her role of Grande Dame perfectly, soliciting whistles and favorable comments from many people along our route.

	Miss Gayle holds her sign and parasol high to ward off the sting of today's sun...
After we left the quiet security of the neighborhood streets near the high school, we turned onto Highway 2. Crowds of people had pulled their chairs to the curbside.

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!
	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, simply cannot walk the parade routes. This doesn't mean he doesn't want to participate! Lady Victoria & Sir Harry of Essex have a special baby carriage all rigged up so that Willy can ride in comfort and ease as he receives adulation from the crowds. Oh yes, Kaiser Willy is always "ready to roll!"
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 Front Street downtown, in the heart of Leavenworth. Lady V and Sir Harry are seen assuring Willy that everything is fine and he can sit down once more. Topper is busy looking at all the activity of the surroundings.
Lady Victoria sets up her camera to take a few photos of SITU members as they come down the street.
Over the height of the drill team ahead, one can see the colorful pendants of the truck SITU member have decorated, flying proudly in the breeze.

Visible at the far right, is one of our photographers, Stuart. Many thanks, go to him today, for capturing so many images to share with us. He was terrific along the route, even running backwards to "get the shot!"
Now Lady V and Willy can step back into line! The truck passes. Sir Harry & Lady V pause to allow another photo to be taken.
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. In this photo below, note the green tented area. This is where the Judges and TV cameras are sited. After we made it through the route downtown, we faced the slope going back to the high school. Willy and Topper were SO hot and tired. Lady V asked the truck to halt so the dogs could get a breezy ride back to the school. At that point, a few of the other walkers were also pretty tired and thought the suggestion was valid. Here is the result... We quickly changed out of our costumes and into clothing more appropriate for the heat of the day. Downtown, wonderful German music was already filling the air.
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.

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!
Sir Harry decided to rest on the steps leading up to a small hotel.
After lunch, several SITU members wandered about town. Lady V, Sir Harry, the Countess, and Tim, headed back to the center of town near the bandstand area where more entertainment was planned for everyone.

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

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. I think he secretly hopes to have an American beauty on day.
The Essex's vehicle is a German performance machine, complimented with a number of stickers from all over Bavaria and England!
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!
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