76 Trombones

In the movie the Music Man, which is said to have taken place in Mason City, IA, 76 trombones led a big parade. Last night, my spouse and I made our way a couple blocks from our house to the local ice cream shop, next to, and a part of, the McFarland House Cafe.  While making our way to the ice cream shop we noticed persons lined up on  part of Exchange and Farwell streets. We correctly guessed that they were lining up for the Homecoming Parade. It was not a big parade.

McFarland Homecoming Float (circa 2011)

No longer with kids in the district, and with my wife now retired as one of nurses at the district, we really have no connection to the happenings in the district. What we noticed was that the parade, started probably at the middle school, or at the rather new Exchange St entrance to the high school and made its way to Farwell and back to the high school's main entrance on Farwell St.  This is a change from the past, when the parade would start at Christ the King Catholic Church, and make its way along Main to a short stint on Exchange then right on Farwell to the school. Actually, the homecoming parade has had many different iterations.

2011 Homecoming/Family Festival Parade
My wife would be saying, in not out loud in her heart:
"That is my Joey!"

When we first moved to the village, 31 years past, the parade was right after school, probably on the Thursday before the homecoming football game. Homecoming is a tradition across the nation, and is a way of alumni connecting with present day, and/or recall their past exploits. McFarland's band has/had (not sure if this is the case anymore) taken it a step further by having an alumni band play a short stint at the football game. Later, as when our kids were in high school, there was the family festival parade, which included the homecoming parade, generally held the Sunday before the game which would follow on Friday.  This guaranteed more attendees as the parade had more units than a few high school floats and cars or trucks with the homecoming court, and the band. 

Float under construction

The family festival would conclude that Sunday, and generally things were wrapped up by about 3 pm, (attendance would drop depending on the time of the Packer game) which really is not a big deal, because other than some rides, the main attraction for adults for many years was a tent with the Mary K lady, a person selling replacement windows, and other commercial vendors. There were not many games, other than those the carnies provided.  Growing up, when I attended the Sun Prairie Corn Festival, we were told by our parents to play the games on the local side, not the carnie games.  My favorite was the pop ring toss.  This was a time when they had the quart glass bottles which seemed to hold the ring much better than the now 20 oz plastic bottles. One time I won a whole case, and it was not easy carrying that home. McFarland, had little in terms of games by locals, which is not too dissimilar from the more recent Corn Festivals, at least my last attendance a few years past. 

For its first many years of existence, (I am not sure if has ended due to Covid, or its death was in the making) the McFarland Family Festival was held across from the high school at a local strip mall, then at a large park north of town, the high school, at the village hall, and probably a few other places.  It never really was successful in my mind.  Being a predominantly a teetotal-ling Lutheran city, alcohol sales have always been suspect in this community. When Christ the King tried a parish festival, first no alcohol was allowed and later the village allowed it but with such restrictions it was overly expensive.  That put an end to that festival. This was an awakening for me, as the parish festival in Sun Prairie, generally had the beer tent 15' from the back corner of the church. In the early days of the village, but only about 100 to 110 years distant, a local merchant, who happened to be Catholic, had his shop vandalized and he, his wife and child bullied, harassed, and injured by a group of Lutherans who dressed up in some type of disguise, with the idea to thwart what for sure he was doing--selling alcohol in a dry town. The vandals did not find the alcohol, and because the local law enforcement was part of the group, no charges were ever brought. For some reason, this self proclaimed group of vigilantes never thought a Lutheran may be the source of the illegal sales of alcohol. The village has come some way into the current century. However, even, as it was on life-support, and they tried alcohol sales, the family festival never made much of a go. I found it odd that the fire department fund raiser was allowed to have alcohol, and was very successful, but not the family festival. Heck, in times not long past, many volunteer fire departments had beer, and it would not surprise me that some in the state still do. The thinking of the Village minds was alcohol and family do not mix/  I guess this goes back to the old days when the ruling the Lutherans thought a dry town was best, and not mixing with Catholics.

McFarland High School Band, 2011

Catholics are now more accepted in the village (a few years ago even one was on the village board) after all, for many years, the parade start at its parking lot.  Although that was probably more due to geography than anything else. Yet, culture has changed in other, not so good ways.  One sees it in the loss of local games at the Corn Fest, as one example. The changes in culture and society are significant, and if a person wants a partial reason why I would direct them to Robert Putnam's book Bowling Alone. Or, you can read an earlier blog post here. As an urban planner, part of me thinks the cultural changes are related to our acceptance of a sprawling land use pattern.  

High School Homecoming game, half time

Back at the ice cream shop, as we sat outside eating our ice cream choices, we watched as police cars cut off the access to that part of Exchange and Main, and then the lead police car.  It is like they were setting up a roadblock for an escaping criminal, absent the road spikes.  We saw the vehicles north of Farwell, getting stuck and needing to make a decision. This  brought back a few memories, and also a few observations.  First,  in the past listening to (which we can do from our home) or at the parade it struck me how for the homecoming parade the middle school band always seemed to sound better than the high school band.  I suspect the high school band was trying out some new music, while the middle schoolers struck with old, rather easy, staples.  Most of the way on the parade route the band sound was just the drummers keeping cadence, so to hear a piece of music from the band next to you was a real treat--even if it was the not to pleasant sound of high schoolers who would rather be with their girl friends, or somewhere other than marching in warm polyester (probably) uniforms with the standard band hat. As a parent with two kids who were in band, we wanted the music, even if the high schoolers, to yell, out, not unlike the parents in River City, "There is my (Andrew, Joey)." Middle school students in band got to wear a t-shirt with the band emblem emblazoned in the left breast. Of course, McFarland is so small, that with cub and boy scouts, girls scouts, the 4_H and the Benevolent Order of the Buffalo all marching, the tree trimmer and garbage trucks, (not to mention fire trucks) it seems that more were in the parade than watching the parade.

McFarland Band at Homecoming game (c 2011)

The second memory was in May of 1990 when my soon to be wife moved into our current house, and I was going to visit her on Memorial Day.  As chance would have it, I arrived as the parade was starting and the access off of Hwy 51 was blocked near the high school.  I then made my way back to Hwy 51 to the south end of Exchange thinking I might sneak through to Bashford and then the short block to our house.  No luck. I had to turn around, and then made my way to AB near Stoughton and back up and in the "back" way.  Given how short the parade probably was, I would have been better often just parking and waiting.  Back then, and today, the street patterns in McFarland are not conducive to getting around when a major street is closed.  From Hwy 51 to County AB east of town Main-Exchange is the only north south street through most of the village.  There is another street that is partial, but it is one way. Hence, travel options during a parade are limited.  

Gathering for 2021 Homecoming Parade

As we sat eating our ice cream with the now low in the sky getting ready to set sun in my view to Farwell, that memory came back as I saw cars needing to turn around to avoid the parade route, my wife even saw a car going the wrong way on a one way street.  Drivers will not be deterred. The nice thing is that by Memorial Day, the high school band sounds much better than the middle school band. Part of the issue of street pattern is lakes, and wetlands, and part is the suburban sprawl development pattern which favors closed subdivisions over connectivity.  The village has brought some on itself, as the only other street that could provide some connectivity is in front of the schools next to us and is one way.  That is the one way street some one snuck down.

My wife was the first of the two of us to observe the lead police car for the parade, with its lights flashing amidst the people on the street terrace, and cars trying to turn around and avoid a crash, or have to wait.  What most struck me was no music.  Who has a parade without a band? The ice cream shop was going to be closing at 6:30 pm to allow the staff to attend the pep rally. Yet, the person working was called in, because the high school staff, who were scheduled, called in sick. I guess they wanted to watch the parade, and not just go to the pep rally. With the pep rally, I wonder if they had the band, or if it was all on hold due to Covid?

2021 Home Coming Parade Lead Police Car
(see headlights near top)

We departed for home, and for the short distance home and while at home, on that pleasant early autumn evening, there was no music--not even the thumping of drums.  I don't know what was up, but there was not one trombone to be heard, much less 76 trombones.  While we did not watch the parade, I have to think it was a rather small event.I also did not hear any cheering. I guess it gave the homecoming court their five minutes of fame. A parent may not be able to yell to those around that a member of the band is their child, but the court gave them that opportunity.  Even though I did not have to put up with a somewhat off-key high school band, it is still rather sad to think that some of these band students, as much as they may not like, will have limited experience in a true marching band. This loss of a key moment for band members, but more importantly it is a loss for the community.  The parade, with the band is one of those institutional acts which can bring varied factions, for at least one moment in time, together. We could use more of that. Here is hoping that the trombones, and tubas will make a comeback in the parade.