September 6, 2018
Summer Parade Fun
By John & Joan Maxwell
Cinnamon Ridge Farms
Summer in Iowa means small town festivals, with our local town of Donahue being no exception. Held over Labor Day weekend, Donahue Frontier Days features fun community-building activities including a slow pitch softball tournament, rubber duck race, breakfast at the firehouse, foot races, pie auction, live music, fireworks, and a parade.
One of our favorite cows at Cinnamon Ridge Dairy, Chickadee, walked in the Donahue parade many times through the late 1990s and early 2000s. Each year we would do our best to dress Chickadee up according to that year’s Donahue Frontier Days’ theme. One year the theme was “Off to the races!” so Chickadee cheerfully pulled a two-wheel sulky. Although it is quite doubtful she would have won a race, many people smiled at a cow pulling a typically horse-drawn cart.
For the theme “Elvis Lives,” Chickadee wore cardboard aviator sunglasses and blue suede shoes, one of which she lost about halfway through the parade. “Little Town on the Prairie” was no problem for Chickadee fitting in, and we at the farm donned 1800s garb. Chickadee seemed relieved she wasn’t required any extra costuming.
Finding a connection for the theme “Return of the Loveboat” was quite a challenge and took many days of thought. Chickadee finally wore a sign that read “Loveboat…Where’s the ark???” It probably made people scratch their heads a bit.
This year I found myself participating in many local parades as part of my campaign in the upcoming election for Scott County supervisor. I’m blessed to have many friends who willingly walk with me. The most notable of all parades this year has been that at Buffalo, where we rounded a corner and the fire truck was met with residents armed with garden hoses. Apparently, there was an ongoing battle each year, and once again this year the residents found themselves soaking wet (which wasn’t so terrible on a sweltering day), outmatched against the firefighters.
The best part of all the parades is the wonderful folks we get to meet. Thanks to all of you who have supported my campaign, as well as Cinnamon Ridge, by purchasing our meats and cheeses at our farm store, farmers market, I-80 truckstop, and North Scott Foods.
