October 11, 2003
Personally speaking, this has to have been one of my favorite days. You couldn't have asked for better weather, there was a great turn out of club members for the parade and the food and entertainment at this event was amazing. The host country this year was Ireland.
Twelve club members were there to make a very impressive addition to the parade, so impressive that we were awarded "Best Classic Car". Pat, Cindy, Martha and others handed out candy along the parade route which was gratefully received. The only iffy point was that we followed the Humane Society, with the dogs, on the route. I did tell all the dogs that there was to be no 'pooping' in front of the cars but they didn't listen! But, as Audrey pointed out, "It's better than following the horses!". The handlers were quick to clean it up though. If your looking for a dog don't forget the Humane Society, there were some fantastic animals there that need homes.
Later in the day Audrey and I with Pat Robinholt went back down to sample some more of the different foods, see Seven Nations in concert and watch the fireworks. Anyone who wasn't there definitely missed out on a great evening. People turned out from all-over for this event, the south end of Columbus was packed. All the booths were great, the there was a wonderful fireworks show. But my favorite thing was getting to see Seven Nations again. This was their last gig at the end of a long tour so they were tired and not as animated as they usually are, but still, they sounded great. They only have a couple of weeks off before performing in California on the 25th. Afterwards we spoke with the band members and Pat chased them all down for autographs, thanks Pat!
They'll have a hard time topping this next year. The host nation will be Germany.
Richard
