A Parade and Answer

Despite chilly temperatures this past Saturday evening, there was a parade in Nashua, NH, but not just an ordinary parade. What made this one more unusual is that it was on water, not land, and its participants were all in kayaks. This photo was taken just after the parade started about 6:30 pm. A local kayak company put a notice on its website for all interested kayakers to join in.

These were not ordinary kayaks, but brightly lit and highly decorated ones. Although it is difficult to see them lit up in the above photo. The flotilla paddled on the Nashua River which flows adjacent to the millyard apartment complex where we reside.

Just after starting out, the kayakers circled the first of two fountains. Nearly all of the 60+ crafts were brightly lighted. Many included decorative add-ons, everything from palm trees, toy sharks, balloons, pirate flags, holiday decorations with some music accompaniment.

Once paddlers travelled downriver, lighting improved somewhat. This was the second kayak event this season. An earlier one in late July was on a much warmer eve when participants wore shorts and t-shirts. This time, most kayakers donned much warmer gear. Saturday's daytime high barely reached the mid-60s; nighttime temps dropped to the high 30s. 

The colorful flotilla of over 60 decorated and lighted kayaks circled the second fountain, went under the Main St bridge, then paddled back to the starting launch. This second and most likely final river event this year was viewed from the Main St bridge and our vantage point along the Nashua River bank with other apartment residents. 

Admittedly, the photos in this post taken with my cell phone are not the clearest shots. That said, here's a drone video that really showcases this unique event.

This post was done in the "new" Blogger format and unlike for previous posts where I could revert to Legacy Blogger, it was no longer an option (sigh). Photo insertion seems to be somewhat more difficult as selecting the size and alignment is now a 2-step process. But, there's a greater choice of fonts styles, in that you can add more fonts from a drop down selection. There's been a log of bloggers who have commented both for and against this new format, hopefully it will become more user-friendly as we adjust to it.

Here's the context of the mystery quote included at the end of a post last Thursday.

Kudos to Ron, Emma and Edna who commented correctly that it was from the 1947 film, Miracle on 34th Street. It was spoken by the character of Alfred, a young Macy's janitor, portrayed by 17-year old Alvin Greenman, a native New Yorker.

This American holiday comedy-drama film garnered three Academy Awards: Edmund Gwenn (Kris Kringle) for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Valentine Davies for best Writing, Original Story, and George Seaton for Best Writing, Screenplay. It was also nominated for Best Picture, but lost to Gentleman's Agreement. In 2005, the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry as being culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.