Tag Archives: Parade

Star Bangled Bike Decorations.

Many neighborhoods and/or city have parades with kids participating on their decorated bikes to celebrate the 4th of July.  If there is not a parade near your home, organize your own parade on your street.

Want a bike that’ll stop traffic? First, splatter-paint some stars and add them to your bars — handlebars, that is — and to a safety-flag pole. Spiff up your wheels with straws and garlands, then hit the road! (Our decked-out bike should be ridden at a parade pace, not at high speeds.)

Materials
  • STREAMER CASCADES:
  • Scissors
  • Metallic curling ribbon
  • Craft glue
  • Splatter Stars
  • Tape
  • Safety-flag pole
  • BELL JINGLERS:
  • Bells
  • Pipe cleaners
  • SPOKE DECORATIONS:
  • Star garlands
  • Scissors
  • Straws

Instructions

  1. A Star-spangled Ride: Streamer Cascades STREAMER CASCADES: Cut and curl ten 2- to 3-foot lengths of metallic curling ribbon. Stack the ribbons and knot them at one end. Using craft glue, sandwich the free ends of several ribbons between splatter-painted stars. Tape the cascade to the top of a safety-flag pole (remove the flag first), then secure the pole to the bike. Tape more curled ribbon to the handlebar ends.
  2. A Star-spangled Ride: Bell Jingles BELL JINGLERS: Slide three to five bells onto a pipe cleaner and fit it to your child’s handlebars, wrist, or ankle.
  3. A Star-spangled Ride: Spoke Decorations SPOKE DECORATIONS: Weave star garlands into one wheel’s spokes and secure the ends, being sure to stay clear of brakes and gears. With scissors, snip along the length of some straws, then snap them into place on the other wheel. To make noise as you ride, cut some straws to half the spokes’ length. They’ll clack as they slide on the turning wheel.

St Patrick’s Day Parade in Philadelphia

The 2011 Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade Returns March 13, With 20,000 Performers In Marching Bands, Dance Groups, Floats And More

 

The 241st St. Patrick’s Day Parade takes place March 13. (Photo courtesy Irish Philadelphia) 

Philadelphia’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade is actually the city’s largest parade, with 20,000 participants representing more than 150 groups including marching bands, dance groups, youth groups, Irish associations and floats.

Thousands of festively green-bedecked spectators line the Ben Franklin Parkway to enjoy the parade each year, a religious and cultural celebration of St. Patrick, on the Sunday prior to St. Patrick’s Day (this year’s parade: March 13, beginning at 11 a.m.). The first documented St. Patrick’s Day Celebration Parade in Philadelphia was held in 1771, marking this year’s the 241st year.

The parade begins at 16th and JFK Boulevard before making its way down the Ben Franklin Parkway. Click here for the full parade route. Some best bets for vantage points include Logan Circle and the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where a dance floor will be set up at Eakins Oval.

A series of awards are given to parade performers, ranging from Outstanding Float to the group that best exemplifies the spirit of the parade, so you can weigh your own opinions against the judges’ decisions, revealed Wednesday, April 13, 6-9 p.m. at a ceremony at Finnigan’s Wake.

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade, a Philadelphia tradition, is a celebration not to be missed. If the weather is less than exemplary, you can watch it live on CW Philly 57 from noon to 3 p.m.; it will also stream live on the station’s website. And also check out Hear Philly’s look at St. Patrick’s Day bar tours in Philadelphia for an added layer of holiday fun.

Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade
When: Sunday, March 13, beginning at 11 a.m.
Where: Begins at 16th and JFK Boulevard
Cost: FREE
More info: www.philadelphiastpatsparade.com