Here's Looking at You! Again!

On Sunday, Elliott finally got to see one of my favorite places near home, an Americana delight, the full blown, distinctly quirky, and jaw dropping greatness of the American Celebration on Parade. I've lost count of the times I've been here, on my own, or introducing this exhibition to friends, and each time I arrive, my excitement rises as I step into the grand hall, and I can only imagine what a child experiences on his or her first spectacular sighting.

A huge minstrel sits atop the ticket office in the reception area, a tantalizing foretaste of the greatness that lies around the corner. And then as you enter the vast warehouse, huge beaks and open mouths greet you, almost voicing their enthusiasm as you crane your neck to look up at these towering creatures. You can't help but smile, or gape, as every countenance is beaming above your head. This incredible space, filled with the hugest creations imaginable that can fit on a parade float, gives me so much joy, and I simply love bringing people here for their first time, their faces a picture as they round the corner to be greeted by this scene, fronted by a humongous beaming duck. Elliott had no words but promptly set to work with his camera. I was a little disappointed as I'd hoped for a breathless gaping look, all agog, and then a yelp of surprise, but I can't expect others to show their emotions as readily as I do, even at this flashy display of gargantuan vibrancy, so I accepted his immediate attention to photographing the wonders as his full stamp of approval.

Since I've already written a couple of blogs, here, and here, and posted photos, I thought that today, I would focus more on expressions and sparkle and paint, but I got a little off track as I walked round. I immediately noticed some of the props were missing while others had been added. The owner has another huge warehouse filled with parade float stuff, so they change things around every so often.

The polar bear display won the Queen's Trophy at the 1998 Rose Parade. Their fur gets a little grubby during the drives, so is recovered frequently. The biker bear is on a 3 wheeled motorcycle which wheeled through the 2008 Rose Parade, his trike decorated with over 500 red roses. I was obsessed with photographing his sunglasses. The ducks at the entrance first appeared in the 1991 Rose Parade and as hockey players in a Philadelphia Thanksgiving Parade.

I just love the faces on the creatures, all created with an artist's skilled hand, wielding a brush with paint, or coaxing paper, fabric or natural materials into wonderfully endearing expressions. And of course, lots of glitter. The lighting inside isn't particularly bright but the well placed lamps and the darker areas allow the floats to glitter and sparkle, vibrant layers of paint or gathered twists of shiny fabric glimmering and glowing, with spotlights illuminating special features.

The flag float is ginormous, and served as a backdrop for President and Mrs Reagan to greet thousands of Americans as they attended a parade.The limousine has appeared in the Rose Parade as well as movies and special events, and is covered in black fur. The gold fabric was all hand tufted by Earl Hargrove, the original owner of this collection, and who created and crafted parade floats for over 65 years in D.C. The wheel on the pirate ship caught my eye, the paint gleaming like copper.

I only spotted one unhappy face as I walked about, but she still made me chuckle despite her heavy frown. But the funniest of all the expressions here, for me, were the pelicans. I could spot them laughing at me, wherever I walked, and they just seemed to be having a gay old time. A button can be pressed to activate them so they twirl around on the float.

The seahorses on Neptune's float have appeared in numerous parades for over 50 years, and the wheels were once on a gladiator's chariot.Even the sea serpent appeared on another float, breathing fire.

We finally clipped our lens caps back onto our cameras and left the warehouse, but not without one last look over my shoulder as I re-entered the world of normality. There had only been a few other people as we walked around, yet the receptionist said that over 200 visitors had turned up the day before. This gem of wonder, nestled deep in the Shenandoah valley, is gaining popularity as more people discover it, and I know for sure, that I'll be back again. Maybe with some more friends, who've never been, just so I can watch their faces light up when they turn that corner.