The ad said: "No faint-hearted, pusillanimous, pussyfooting marchers, if you please! RSVP"

Recently I wrote about a few of the differences between the celebration of America's National Independence Day on July 4th in Washington, D.C. and in the more rural community of Bar Harbor, Maine. The selection process for participation in the parade in our nation's capital is intense. The Parade consists of invited bands, fife and drum corps, floats, military and specialty units, giant balloons, equestrian, drill teams, VIP's, national dignitaries, and celebrity participants. Participating bands are invited based on recommendations from each state's Governor's office. Other times these recommendations come from a state's music educator's office or other music education organizations at the governor's request.

Representation from all parts of the United States is the goal of the Parade National Selection Committee. Bands must submit a video recording, photos, and biographical information detailing experience, honors, past adjudication results, festival ratings, etc. The deadline for band applications is January 15th of the year of the parade the band is applying to participate in, and bands are notified of their acceptance no later than February 15th of the same year. Marching bands are selected on the basis of overall quality, as well as geographical, ethnic and stylistic diversity. It is the annual goal of the parade organizers to have at least one band or unit represent each of the 50 states of the union.

Now I am not absolutely sure of the selection criteria or the application process for participation in the Bar Harbor parade. While visiting LL Bean in Freeport, Maine, I believe I saw an old recruiting poster for the event. Also, I seem to remember a coffee stained, sticky, dog eared Yankee Trader or Pennysaver magazine on the motel TV stand. My mind's eye recalls a small ad: "Requesting participants for Bar Harbor Independence Day Parade. No faint-hearted, pusillanimous, pussyfooting marchers, if you please! RSVP by May 31, 2008".

I, myself, have never been accused of pusillanimous pussyfooting, although I have a history of biting my opponents and stinky feet. Both became badges of honor, and practical necessities, during playground fights. I never grew beyond five foot seven inches (5.645 to be exact) and 150 pounds before I started to shrink and put on weight in my old age. I won my childhood battles by drawing first blood, grossing out the opponent or running like the wind. Pusillanimous was a word far beyond the outer limits of the vocabulary of my friends (and critics). Pussyfooting was a little too delicate, even when revealing your feminine side was in vogue. Faint-hearted is a wordsmith's phrase and most in my circle "read" the sports section, "wrote" grocery lists and "researched" the weekend movie and club schedules. We may have lacked courage; "gutless", "yellow-bellied" were insults we understood. Sticks and stones could break our bones, but names would never hurt us. Especially if we didn't know what the hell you were saying.

So here are some of the marchers that responded to the call for action? Did the selection committee choose well? The goal of the National Parade is to select "on the basis of overall quality, as well as geographical, ethnic and stylistic diversity". I think the Bar Harbor parade certainly gets points for "style"!

You may enjoy reading: Belly Flops, imperfect jelly beans that taste great.

Also, may I recommend for your enjoyment: The community shows off its patriotism and good humor.

The Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd) is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in the comic book Fantastic Four #48 (March 1966), the first of a three-issue arc fans and historians call "The Galactus Trilogy".

Originally a young astronomer of the planet Zenn-La, in order to save his home-world from destruction by a fearsome cosmic entity known as Galactus, Norrin Radd made a bargain with the being, pledging himself to serve as his herald. Imbued in return with a tiny portion of Galactus' Power Cosmic, Radd acquired great powers and a silvery appearance. Galactus also created for Radd a surfboard-like craft — modeled after a childhood fantasy of his — on which he would travel at speeds beyond that of light. Known from then on as the Silver Surfer, Radd began to roam the cosmos searching for new planets for Galactus to consume. When his travels finally took him to Earth, the Surfer came face-to-face with the Fantastic Four, a team of powerful superheroes that helped him to rediscover his nobility of spirit. Betraying Galactus, the Surfer saved Earth but was punished in return with everlasting exile there.

Stan Lee enjoyed the character and decided to feature him in his own individual title in 1968. John Buscema was penciller for the first 17 issues of the series, with Kirby returning for the eighteenth and final issue. The first seven issues, which included anthological "Tales of the Watcher" backup stories, were 72-page (with advertising), 25-cent "giants", as opposed to typical 36-page, 12-cent comics of the time. Thematically, the stories dealt with the Surfer's exile on Earth and the inhumanity of man as observed by this noble yet fallen hero. The Silver Surfer comic book series became known as one of Lee's most thoughtful and introspective works. Englehart writes that Buscema and Lee were "pouring their souls into the series".

Waldo County, situated in mid-coast Maine along scenic Penobscot Bay, has genuine New England character evidenced by working port towns and quaint rural villages. Visitors are awed by the area's unspoiled beauty. From striking coastal views to sweeping mountain vistas, dramatic natural settings abound. In addition great care has been taken to preserve and refurbish numerous historic landmarks, homes and buildings. Consequently, the Maine of yesteryear is still found here.

Stumble It!

website: Time-less-image

web blog: Comics Legends and Lore

web store: Time-Less-Image Ebay Store

Technorati Tags: Parade

Blogs are ranked in various ways, and one of the more significant ones (besides linking or subscribing) happens via Technorati. In brief, Technorati tracks millions of blogs and lets users search them, tag them, and rank them. If you own a blog, or if you read them, I recommend signing up with Technorati (it's free and takes a couple minutes). And if you enjoy this blog, I encourage you, please, to "favorite" it.