It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway, that December is normally a very busy month with myriad holiday-themed events, which if not well navigated can lead to a bit of stress; psychologists will support that statement. Like most of us, I seek to avoid that stress, but because this month started on a Wednesday and has 31 days, it is a five-column week and the Christmas Eve column has a deadline three days earlier that normal, which means (here comes a feeble disclaimer) this column and the next may be shorter than normal and possibly, just possibly, be subject to errors or omissions. Just sayin’.
In effort to enjoy the whole atmosphere this time of year, I have plotted out my ideas much like a film storyboard with each scene laid out ahead of actual work. This is not a sign of inherent intelligence but the result of cause and effect: columns done without direction lead to mistakes. And I make mistakes all the time; and get corrected on them. I got a very terse message from one Steve to another Steve; the correction was that in a recent column I used the Greek term for “time flies,” Tempest Fugit, when it is in fact Tempus Fugit, and it is of course Latin. How many others, besides me, failed to notice that? I could argue half the mistake was because I was reading about Greek gods at the time, but this is a weak argument. Good call on Steve’s part.
Before columns appearing on the two big upcoming eves, I want to comment on the KC Christmas parade of a dozen days ago. If I were to couple memory with research, I might be able to come up with the number of parades I have announced over the past three-and-a-half decades; and while I doubt it would be a 100% accurate number, it is safe to say I can speak knowingly about parades. They start as a concept that goes from communication and paperwork to passing floats, some golf cart size and others semi-truck size, with people afoot, people in cars and people on horseback. And this for an audience whose only cost is to make their way to the parade route; in our case, Broadway.
All of this takes a tremendous amount of effort by a small core of people until it expands to involve the efforts of scores of individuals from the chamber to police and fire to KCHS students to volunteers, all too numerous to mention by name; with three exceptions: Janet and Cindy at the Chamber of Commerce and Adriana from City Hall. For the first two ladies, it was not their first rodeo and they became aware early on, as did I, that things in the staging area at SVF was not going as smoothly as past parades. Regarding this, there is really no one thing a finger could be pointed at as cause, and I’m sure there won’t be a repeat next year.
I received a call just as I arrived at the announcer’s stand informing me some of the entries would not be in chronological order and some entries, late comers, would have no numbers at all. Now for a seasoned announcer that is not a big deal, it just calls for some quick page turning (there is an entry numbered announcer’s book delivered just minutes prior to the start) and maybe some ad libbing. But for someone announcing their first parade, whose job is to translate from English to Spanish, that might present a problem. Well, it wasn’t for Adriana, one of our City Hall employees, who sailed through the upsets and minor confusions with nary a fluster.
All in all, it was a wonderful night, and I expect next year will be even better; just without some of the early confusion.
Last weekend was a dual event weekend. Though short of time given a few prior commitments, I was able to attend the Wreaths Across America ceremony at the cemetery. As the name suggests this organization makes possible the laying of wreaths on every military service personnel grave. Inside the program is a list of all those who participate so that the over 500 graves in our cemetery are honored, but my friend Dorothy was emphatic I mention the youth who volunteered on both Friday and Saturday to see that each grave was marked and duly honored. Members of King City Blue Ribbon 4-H, Lockwood 4-H, King City Rural 4-H and King City FFA were seen alongside KCHS volunteer students. Local high school military science JROTC cadets from Soledad, Greenfield and King City worked side-by-side with Boy Scout Troop 350 and Eagle Scout Troop 101; the day was well represented by those who will one day serve in the preserving of our liberty and freedom from enemies outside our borders.
My weekend ended in the Auditorium where on the Robert Stanton Stage the 66th Annual “Nutcracker Ballet” unfolded in all its color and pageantry. While the story of Clara and the Nutcracker/Prince is unchanging, the presentation of the dancing is always different due to the expertise of Mrs. H in coming up with original choreography. This year was no exception; no sooner did I expect to see dancers do the “normal” thing, they did something else. And there were so many, 115 dancers in one production is large, even for a big city troupe, but in this little burg it is an exceptional use of the youngest ballerina to the oldest. There were some new faces in the Opening Scene that only added spice to the holiday punch. But there was no Butler in that scene; a fact that nearly brought tears to my eyes. Now, we wait in anticipation of what this exceptional group of dancers will bring to the stage for their spring production.
Take care. Peace.
