CELEBRATE DAMASCUS
PARADE
The Celebrate Damascus parade Friday night was probably the high point of the campaign season. Not only is Damascus my favorite town in Montgomery County, but Celebrate Damascus (a.k.a. Damascus Days) has the best parade and fireworks in the county.
When I arrived, my caravan of vehicles was behind a military jeep with servicemen inside. I let the 4-H float enter the Damascus High School parking lot before I followed behind. They were coming the opposite direction on Ridge Road, where parade entries were lined up waiting to get in.
Eventually we were directed to our parking spaces in the section of the lot by Bethesda Church Road. Right next to us was the Weatherbug Storm Chasing vehicle (Weatherbug HQ is right down 27 by the 270 ramp to Frederick). On the other side was a dustless floor refinishing truck. In the 11:00 direction was the convertible of one of my opponents, Nancy Floreen. Dead ahead was a van/RV filled with... parrots!
My only regret about the parade this year, was that by actually being IN the parade, I was unable to see all of it. Or to get video of it for you to watch. Of course, you can still enjoy all of the videos and photos of last year's Damascus parade on the Robert Dyer Channel and my Photos page at www.RobertDyer.net.
But from what I could see from the staging area as we waited for the signal to move out, it was at least as good as last year, if not better. There were 3 live camels as part of a Christmas float. I saw Ronald McDonald in a convertible (and the McDonald's McCafe van was giving out free drinks the next day, by the way).
Santa Claus was spotted far from the North Pole, in the Damascus High School parking lot!
If you think that was interesting, I haven't told you that later, Santa was at the wheel of an enclosed-cab John Deere tractor!
Remember the video I posted of the Damascus Lions Club lion last year? This year, being "behind the scenes" before the parade, I got a spy shot for you of the lion without his mask on!
There was also the Bolivian dance group I recorded for you last year, as well.
This year, I also saw a van for Tom & Ray's restaurant.
Eventually, it was time to enter the line. We had to stop at the driveway of the school on Bethesda Church Road so that 3 tow trucks (that had been waiting there because they were too big to be in the lot) could get in their spot ahead of us.
And then we were underway!
There was a great turnout, with people lined up all the way along the parade route. It was a very friendly crowd. Lots of support. Not even one heckler! It sounded like Damascus is ready for Change Beyond Belief on the County Council!
Candy is often given out to children along the route, but one child even offered me a piece of candy. He must have been a Republican.
The 3 tow trucks had a synchronized horn blast routine that they repeated the entire length of the parade. So, past the Weis Market, KFC/Taco Bell, Red Rooster, the Fireworks Art Cafe, and CVS... ...then left onto Lewis Drive.
People who are lucky enough to live along Lewis Drive have it made for this day every year. Many were holding parties; first with chairs set up to enjoy the parade, and then for the fireworks display. I could smell a few backyard grills going, too.
Finally we got up to the reviewing stand. The man at the microphone announced my name, and said that I was running for the Montgomery County Council At-Large. Then he added, "Why in the world would you want a job like that?" Like I've said before, the people of Montgomery County are not fooled by the council's new talking points; they know that our county has suffered through years of failed leadership, and that we have a gargantuan mess to clean up. The man had a good point; it's going to be a tough job. But I'm ready to serve the great town of Damascus and this great county to get that tough job done. We can't fix 8 years of mismanagement overnight, but together, we can fix it.
Just past the American Legion is the Damascus Volunteer Fire Department Activities Building, from which the delicious smell of chicken was wafting. In fact, one of the chefs was standing at the roadside to watch us go by.
Darkness began to fall as we reached the end of the route, and parked along the curb past the carnival grounds. Right across from the Music Cafe van!
After a break, it was time to head over to the Weis Market parking lot, which has a great view of Montgomery County's best fireworks display. I got some video of that for you, which will be uploaded in the near future.
In conclusion, it was a great night and weekend in Damascus. Lots of voters who said they were going to vote for me, lots of new Robert Dyer voters who came aboard, and lots of outstanding people who represent the real Montgomery County, and the real America. And they were attending perhaps the biggest event of the year in a classic small town.
They don't make 'em like they used to, but we can preserve the best of Damascus and our other rural areas by electing councilmembers who will fight the attempts by the incumbents to turn the whole county into a maze of concrete canyons.
We can win this crusade to transform government into one that serves the People, not the other way around. We'll win with the support of voters like the great people of Damascus.
Thanks to everyone who came out for the parade and was so supportive! It really gives me a boost going forward, and I look forward to seeing you at future events.
Stay tuned for pictures from the event!
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