The Prescott Rodeo Parade Gives Me Hope

July 3, 2015
   Left the house at six this morning, to make the annual drive to Prescott for the Rodeo Parade. Out on the Carefree Highway I encountered 10 hot air balloons launching in the early morning light.

My nephew EJ works on one of these hot air balloon crews. Wonder which one is his?

Got to the parade staging area, east of the plaza, at eight and met one of our honored guests:

Honored guest and True West marcher Lance Corporal Cody McCarrol, 19, of the U.S. Marine Corp. His father was one of the stars of our Emmy award winning TV doc "Outrageous Arizona."

   Huge ovations whenever I announced him walking with us. Very touching. He is going to be deployed in January.

   People ask me all the time if there is a future for old west history and I always say, if you can show me some kids getting into it, we have a chance. This is Gabriel (8), and Tristan (12) at the Prescott Rodeo Parade this morning. There is hope.

Gabriel and Tristan of Prescott Valley

And, of course, it doesn't hurt to have Pancho Villa in your parade entourage:

Pancho Villa (Gilberto Zaragoza, aka "El Pistolero")

   This year, Matt Grace, the owner of the stretch Checker cab outfitted the rig with a PA system. This was great because thistime I could talk back to the announcers and the audience and it was fantastic. Lots of laughs. Woke up plenty of drowsy parade watchers. Ha.

"I think a sentence is a fine thing to put a preposition at the end of."

—William Zinsser, "On Writing Well"