Santa Fe Pride Parade!

Thank you to all who marched in last Saturday’s Pride Parade! We had a good group of 20 or so in our Westminster contingent – mostly church members but also a few neighbors and friends. Overall, the number of groups, businesses, and faith organizations who march in the parade seems to grow with each passing year.

Even though the parade started on time (10:30 a.m.) those in our group patiently waited another 30-40 minutes before finally stepping off onto the parade route. We were so near the end of the parade that the city’s street sweepers were probably no more than half-a-block behind us! The only good thing about being so close to the end is that we were the last church group parade watchers saw, so hopefully we were able to make a more lasting impression than if we had been somewhere in the middle.

Having handouts (cards, candy, whistles, beads, etc.) usually helps people remember you after the parade ends and everyone goes home. This year, of the 2,000 postcards we had ready to hand out, we probably only gave out 1/3 of them so we’re already set for next year. We also had 250 coloring sheet packets (crayons included) ready to hand out to kids, but we could have used at least another 100 or more! They were so popular with kids and parents all 250 were gone before we even reached the end of the parade route. Lesson learned for next time!

Thank you to Susanne and Larry for assembling the coloring sheet packets, to Keri and Michael for once again driving your pick-up truck in the parade (and for being willing to arrive by 8:30 a.m. to check in), to Jenny for gifting us with a bubble machine, and to those who helped organize things, decorate the truck, and/or haul our supplies back to church. It takes a village, or at least a congregation!