My Little Baby is a Firecracker

I danced with Jazzercise in Boulder Creek's 4th of July parade this year. This is something I wouldn't have been caught dead doing in my younger years, but my sense of humor has grown over time.

We started rehearsing a couple of weeks before the big day, putting together a medley of firecracker songs for the judges and a couple of hula-hoop routines for the approach to the judges.

The morning of the 4th, we gathered early to rehearse, put the final touches on our costumes, and enjoy a tailgate party outside the Rec Hall.

I'm the one with the red sash.

The 4th of July parade is one of Boulder Creek's three big civic events, put on by the Boulder Creek Business Association. Parade entries are entirely local civic groups, businesses, and random individuals who feel like decorating cars or bikes or walking down the main street in old timey costumes. You never know whether you'll end up behind toddlers on tricycles or chicks with chainsaws.

Middle of the front row, here.

Our theme was hayseed (to go with the line in one of the songs about being so hot that our breaks in the hayloft will set the barn on fire). complete with gold and silver cowboy hats and denim capris. The bunting "wings" were an especially hokey touch, and they fluttered delightfully when we danced.

And 16th in the chorus line, red sash again.

We took 2nd place this year, after taking 1st place two years running. Friends of the Library won first place for an entry with a really cool bookworm (worn Chinese dragon style by a group of kids) and the grim reality of severe library budget cuts.