20190504 SOS Parade
Spring Safari SOS Parade
by
Billy Powell
Click Here to see photos of this event
Year Theme Category Finish
2009 St. Dance Best Shag Troop 1stPlace
2010 Back to the 50’s Best Shag Troop 1stPlace
2011 Cupid Best Shag Troop 1stPlace
2012 Salute to the Troops Best Shag Troop 1stPlace
2013 Pontoon Best Shag Troop 1stPlace
2014 Magic Kingdom Best Shag Troop 1stPlace
2015 Greatest Show on Earth Best Shag Troop 1stPlace
2016 Happy Trails Best Shag Troop 1stPlace
2017 Thriller Best Shag Theme 1stPlace
2018 Once Upon a Time Most Original 1stPlace
2019 A Little Party Never Most Original 1stPlace
Never Killed Nobody
As you can see from above list, the ODSC definitely has a winning tradition. The above are just the ones that I have records for, but I do know that there were at least 5 more years of 1stplace wins prior to 2009.
Once again thanks to the creativity, enthusiasm, and hard work of our members, we were able to keep the winning tradition going.
Our theme this year was “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody”. Even though this is true, many of us thought the heat would kill us before the parade was finished.
Many thanks to our “banner carriers”. They have carried our banner for several years, but this year they actually pulled a large invitation. Their costumes were great and they are great representatives of the ODSC. I am not sure if they can ever top their last year’s costumes of the Little Red “Bill” Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf “Donna”, but we are looking forward to what they come up with next year.
Our dance troop did an outstanding job and danced the entire parade. Dancing that far in the heat was really tough, but they made it look easy. They put in many hours of practice prior to the parade to make sure they were synchronized and the results were worth it. The purpose of an entry into the parade is to entertain the crowd. I hear many compliments after the parade about how great the dancers performed.
The float was rocking the entire parade and everyone on it was partying. Special thanks to our DJ/Conductor and the trumpet players. I didn’t realize how tired my arms would be after holding up a plastic trumpet and pretending to play during the whole parade.
The golf carts were outstanding! We put the basic “Model T” frame on the carts during the work day and everyone took them home and made them unique with lots of special touches. They were extremely creative! Everyone was dressed to the theme and each cart was very unique.
I would like to thank all of those who put in the hard work necessary to pull all of this together. Much gratitude for those that participated in the workday, those that helped put the float together Saturday and even more thanks for those that help dismantle the float after the parade. Last but in no way least, I could not do this without my better half, Monica. She keeps me on track and organized.
If you did not participate this year, you missed a lot of fun. The work and effort are well worth it if compared to the fun and satisfaction of doing something together as a club.
Hope to see you participate in next year’s 1stPlace team.!
Photos by Lou Martino