Remember When
By Dean Martin
This past weekend we were invited to participate in a Fourth of July parade in Centerville, Ohio. It was a beautiful morning with lots of sunshine. It was definitely a day to enjoy. It has been many years since I’ve been to a parade and even longer since I’ve been a participant. Since my brother Rich drove the car in the parade (he only got in trouble twice for spinning tires), I was able to hang out and actually be a spectator for the entire parade. It started to make me wonder what it would be like to have a “regular” life.
It’s been quite some time since I woke up on a beautiful Saturday morning and wondered; “What I will I do today?” On this particular Saturday, I woke up in yet another hotel room. The day was still a “work” day, but it was a relaxed day of work. The sun was out, the birds were chirping, the parking lot at Bob Evans was starting to get crowded. We headed off to the staging area of the parade, and then to our station along the route.
The streets began to line with spectators trying to find the best vantage point for the day. There were a lot of moms pushing strollers, many soon-to-be moms, and an unusually large number of dogs around. The only thing missing were the street vendors. As we found our place along the parade route in front of Macdiggers Pub, I reflected back to a parade in Brockton, Mass., where I was born.
In 1976 the city hosted the Bicentennial parade and it was huge. Well, huge for a 7-year-old kid. There were fire trucks, police cars, cheerleaders, dance teams, politicians, and more fire trucks. Best of all, there were guys pushing carts down the road with balloons, funnel cakes and cotton candy!
Hmmm… Remember when… Remember when life was not so full of deadlines and stress. When you’re 7 years old, there is no such thing as creditors, debtors, employees or taxes. There are just funnel cakes, cotton candy, and frogs. I want to be 7 again!
After the parade, we brought the No. 59 Belesta-sponsored Ford Mustang to the car show area. It was on a closed road just off the parade route and we got quite a bit of traffic. There were vendors along the street as well. We spent the day talking about Grand-Am, Mustangs and Belesta. It was great to interact with fans without having to worry about deadlines. I was also a little surprised to meet so many people who either saw the car race at Mid-Ohio or watched the race on SPEED. The series certainly has a great following. It was an Independence Day I will remember for a long time to come.
I’d like to thank all of the service men and women for the jobs they have done and continue to do to keep this country safe.
Drive Fast, Take Chances!
-Dean
