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 Saturday’s 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,” Bergquist said.
Dave Schmidt, a Denver police officer who has worked a number of parades over 18 1/2 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.
John H. Kennedy, a political activist, took the opportunity to spread a message condemning the war in Iraq. Wearing 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,” said Kennedy, a member of the Impeachment Coalition of Colorado.
Golden resident Lee Robinson came to the parade after seeing a story about it on the television news.
“I just wanted to come down and see what is going on and to honor all of our protectors,” he said.
Robinson would like to see the parade become an annual event, he said.
“It is a good idea
Singer cancels concert
“God Bless the USA” singer Lee Greenwood walked away at the last minute Saturday night from a scheduled performance at a concert finale to the Colorado State Parade of Honor.
Greenwood canceled his headline act because parade organizer Frank Young did not fulfill financial obligations, said Greenwood’s publicist, Kirt Webster.
“Lee Greenwood is a strong supporter of all United States military branches, as well as local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and firemen,” Webster said. “It has saddened Lee Greenwood that he was not able to perform for these fine heroes and individuals that help protect our freedom on a daily basis.”
Greenwood was supposed to be paid $20,000 for the performance at the Teikyo Loretto Heights Theater on South Federal Boulevard.
