Winters Friends of the Library has been marching in the Winters Youth Day Parade with a special marching unit entry since 2006.
Once the Youth Day theme is announced, the musicians and drill team start brainstorming ideas for tunes, costuming, and choreography that relate to the WFoL mission.
Things get very creative!
And silly!
And challenging!
And fun.
Musicians begin learning and rehearsing the selected piece.
Marchers begin attending costume design and constructions workshops.
And the Friends, old and new, become friends. And sometimes it works the other way, where friends who want to join in the fun, decide they want to become Friends, and become a part of this creative and dedicated group who love reading, along with our library and our community.
Shhh! The WFoL costume and music choice are kept secret until the big reveal on Youth Day, the last Saturday in April.
The dress rehearsal is always a surprise to the local neighborhood. It’s a chance to find out what costume failures might plague us along the parade route and enjoy snacking and sipping in the Spring evening before our formal debut.
On Youth Day morning we gather early at the home of kind and generous WFoL members who live along the parade route. We change, use the facilities, sip and snack, and head with our entry number to our assigned place in the queue.
Banner, check.
Instruments, check.
Silly photos, check.
We run through the music and dance steps while we await the signal to start marching.
A collective breath, the down beat from our drum major, and we are off!
We want that prize!
And to show our town just how much we love the parade, the library, and proving that you can have fun and get things done.
Would you like to join us in the parade? Contact volunteer@wfol.org.
