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In the 40's and 50's Norwich was big on parades. There was parades on the fourth of July, the Chenango county fair, Memorial Day, etc. Usually these parades would start somewhere around West Main St. school. They would proceed around by the Court house, come out on North Broad and either go down South Broad or down East Main St.

My Uncle Don always had a solution to having one of the best seats to watch the proceedings. He would take his Ford pickup downtown early in the day, before the parade would start, and park it along the parade route. Then, my Aunt would pick him up with her car and take him back on the hill.

Later that day, about an hour before the parade started, we would all load up in my Aunt's car and head downtown to watch the goings on. We would then park the car wherever we could and walk down to the pickup and sit in the back to watch. This day my uncle had parked on North Broad almost up by Pringles Cigar Store. Anyway, we all piled in the back of his 53 pickup, opened up some folding chairs and some pop and beers. There we sat. We noticed people walking by and kinda looking at us funny. Oh well, they are just probably jealous that we have such good seats. We sat that talking and laughing and drinking until, a nice older man came over and told us that the parade was going straight down West Main and East Main Streets. It wasn't coming anywhere near us.  Up until I lost my uncle Don 3 years ago, this was always a subject that was brought up time and time again and always got a good laugh.

5 comments on this topic:

hsmith says:

February 22nd, 2008 at 10:40 am

Good Day Pappy,

How about the Halloween Parades and the collections for UNICEF? We used to trick or treat and collect money for UNICEF and then take it to the local church. I can remember donuts and cider in the park after the parade. For awhile we used to go over to the old high school for movies after the parade too. Those truly were the good old days.

You could send your kids out to cover the whole town trick or treating and not worry about them.

The parade was alway nice and big and the awards would be given out ont he steps of the court house following the parade.

Seems to me that they formed on Cortland St and Mitchell Stree and came down Broad St.

pappy says:

February 22nd, 2008 at 11:05 am

I remember the Halloween parade and prizes were given out on the court house steps for the best costumes. Went to a couple of the movies you are talking about. We liked to trick or treat on upper North Broad St. because that is where the "rich" folks lived and always gave out alot of goodies. Didn't have to worry about people putting junk in the candy because they just didn't do those things back then. The worst thing that happened to us was a soaking from water baloons out an upstairs window from some wiseguys. We egged the heck out of that house.

NobodysFool says:

February 22nd, 2008 at 11:11 am

Personally I think people who park along the parade route so that they can have a great view at the expense of others- all the folks who can't see over or through the car from the sidewalk- are thoughtless and rude buffoons.

It's something that drives me crazy at the Christmas parade in Norwich; especially when they leave the car running so that all can inhale their exhaust fumes.

pappy says:

February 22nd, 2008 at 11:29 am

Thanks for your opinion NF. You are probably right but I don't appreciate you calling my uncle a buffoon. Lighten up, please. This was over 60 years ago and I am just reminising on times gone past. I am not trying to upset you or anyone else on this forum. Actually, we didn't block anyones view. We were not near the parade.

NobodysFool says:

February 23rd, 2008 at 6:20 pm

Well, ya got me there. I am glad you weren't unable to block the view of others. Your idea sounds like a good one and a lot of fun. But as a parent who has inhaled the fume and held a child on shoulders I have seen it from the other side. I maintain that people who park on parade routes are thoughtless and rude buffoons, but since your late uncle didn't park on the route, I guess he wasn't a buffoon.