Barbara Streisand would have been very happy -- there was no rain on Beacon's Centennial Parade on Saturday May 18th! The event was the culmination of civic, nonprofit, entrepreneurial, government and volunteer organizations that exist for contemporary Beaconites, some with historical connections (DAR) and others formed for the centennial itself (I AM Beacon). The parade did indeed pass me by and from my vantage point facing the post office to the west, and the buildings under construction for the soon-to-arrive Towne Crier Cafe in front of me, the past, present and future of Beacon stood before my eyes!
Food for Thought:
Who doesn't like a parade? It offers a time for reflection and celebration on a given theme -- ethnic pride, firemen's service, holidays, championship winners, war heroes, and historical moments -- and brings a community together as they witness the passing banners, vehicles, flags, marchers and bands. Parades connect us with each other through identification by similarity and feeling unique with contrasts. Who we are and who we are not -- yet -- connected, nonetheless, to each other in community. Standing together, we become one. It's a good feeling not to be alone.
