A sea of flashing red and blue emergency lights, clowns on motorcycles, fire engines, marching bands and other distractions wound through downtown Saturday in the first ever Colorado State Parade of Honor.
The audience for the event was small, with marchers outnumbering viewers by a large margin. But those who attended were enthusiastic.
“It is completely extraordinary,” said James Clarke, a London resident here on vacation.
There is nothing quite like the parade in London, he said. “It is so full of variety and life,” said Clarke, a composer.
The event is the brainchild of Frank Young, 55, a Vietnam veteran who single-handedly lined up more than 200 marching units for a parade to honor cops, firefighters, veterans and other everyday heroes.
Young, who founded a philanthropic foundation, the Trinity Community Services Foundation, spent $180,000 to arrange the parade. He could not be reached for comment Saturday.
“It’s time we as citizens stand up and not wait for another 9/11 and recognize those who are working on a daily basis to preserve our rights as citizens,” he said recently.
The sparse turnout didn’t bother some marchers. “For a first year it was pretty good,” said Lisa Wood, the mother-in-law of an active duty sailor who rode her motorcycle with the Patriot Guard Riders, a group that guards military funerals from protesters.
John Bergquist, a kilt-clad bagpiper who marched with the El Jebel Pipe Band, was less enthusiastic.
“It would have been better if it had been better advertised and we had more people here,” said Berquist.
Dave Schmidt, a Denver police officer who has worked a number of parades over 18 and a half years, said this one was not that different from others.
“But it is nice to pay tribute to veterans and military,” he added.
Members of the military were also on the mind of Andrew Rhodes, a member of the U.S. Army’s 2nd Squad, 9th U.S. Cavalry, who came from Fort Carson to take part in the parade.
Rhodes, who has already served a year in Iraq, expects to return soon. He is a member of the Patriot Guard “because it is the right thing to do,” he said.
“The nation which forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten,” a patch on the back of his jacket said.
John H. Kennedy, a political activist, took the opportunity to spread a message condemning the war in Iraq.
Dressed in a baseball cap with the message “Impeach Cheney,” Kennedy held a sign saying “(Weapons of Mass Destruction) lies are impeachable.”
“Our job is to get people’s attention and at least make them think about this,” Kennedy, a member of the Impeachment Coalition of Colorado, said.
Golden resident Lee Robinson came to the parade after seeing a story about it on television news. “I just wanted to come down and see what is going on and to honor all of our protectors.”
Robinson would like to see the parade become an annual event, he said. “It is a good idea. I think if it is advertised more it will be annual.”
Staff writer Tom McGhee can be reached at 303-954-1671 or tmcghee@denverpost.com
