Yesterday was the Great Circus Parade on the streets on downtown Milwaukee, and I was a participant riding on the Adam Forepaugh Stringer wagon #201. I had been asked months ago to be in the parade by a colleague in WASB, and although I anticipated being pregnant, I thought it would be fun-- not to mention a pretty darn well-paying gig for the type of "work" I would be doing. So yesterday was the day. I got to the festival grounds pretty early so that I wouldn't have to battle with traffic. I had plenty of time to get my horn ready, get all costumed up, and walk to meet my group at the wagon. My "costume" consisted of a teal long-sleeve t-shirt, a fringed vest, a scarf around my neck, and other on my head (a cowboy hat wouldn't fit with my sousaphone)-- I was in the Wild West section of the parade. I had some time to get an ice cream and wander by the lake and festival grounds, then I got my horn ready and met my group at the wagon. Walking that distance made me glad that I was NOT marching yesterday. I found my group, we went over the music, and then a few of us decided to take a quick stroll to the port-a-potties before the parade rolled out (fyi it was the 3 people in our group over the age of 70... and me-- the 4 of us with limited bladder control... :)). Well, we realized that the wagons had already started to load, so I decided I would run into the woods to pee REALLY quick before loading our wagon. Why is it that whenever you have to pee in a hurry, you can't?? So, I managed a little, and it went straight on my pants. Yes, I pulled a nature, right off Lincoln Memorial Drive, and I peed on my pants. Wonderful.
I managed to get back to the wagon, and the Nazi wagon men almost left with me barely onto the wagon. (Keep in mind I'm dressed in Wild West garb and carrying a sousaphone.) So we get moving, and boy is it different riding on a wagon when it's being pulled by 4 draft horses (Percherons, to be exact). Interesting parade issues:
1.) Lots of jerky starts = mouthpieces jabbing into teeth. Owee.
2.) Wind + sousaphone = Danger. Every gust of wind that blew through caught my "sail" (i.e. sousaphone bell) and threatened to fling me off the back of the wagon. I felt like I was getting such a workout with trying to keep myself stable! Someone from the front of our wagon asked at one point: "Everyone in the back okay?" And someone responded: "I think the question should be: Have we lost our sousaphone player yet?!"
3.) Drawbridges are really scary when you're going over them in a wagon pulled by horses who don't want to go over them.
4.) The 5-foot high wagons are so much more inviting than the 12-footers. Thank the Lord I was on a shorter one. I wouldn't have climbed my ass, pregnant or not, up a 12-foot ladder any day of the week. No sir.
All-in-all it was a really great experience, despite the fact that my tush and shoulder are pretty sore, tush from sitting uncomfortably and shoulder from the horn. However, the pay was definitely worth it, and it was so cool to see all of the horses, wagons, elephants and various other acts up close. And the people lining the streets cheering for us just gives you a big high, which makes you feel good. It was something I will definitely take part in again, should I have the chance. Just remind me not to do it if I'm 6 months pregnant again. I was SO exhausted afterwards.
I managed to get back to the wagon, and the Nazi wagon men almost left with me barely onto the wagon. (Keep in mind I'm dressed in Wild West garb and carrying a sousaphone.) So we get moving, and boy is it different riding on a wagon when it's being pulled by 4 draft horses (Percherons, to be exact). Interesting parade issues:
1.) Lots of jerky starts = mouthpieces jabbing into teeth. Owee.
2.) Wind + sousaphone = Danger. Every gust of wind that blew through caught my "sail" (i.e. sousaphone bell) and threatened to fling me off the back of the wagon. I felt like I was getting such a workout with trying to keep myself stable! Someone from the front of our wagon asked at one point: "Everyone in the back okay?" And someone responded: "I think the question should be: Have we lost our sousaphone player yet?!"
3.) Drawbridges are really scary when you're going over them in a wagon pulled by horses who don't want to go over them.
4.) The 5-foot high wagons are so much more inviting than the 12-footers. Thank the Lord I was on a shorter one. I wouldn't have climbed my ass, pregnant or not, up a 12-foot ladder any day of the week. No sir.
All-in-all it was a really great experience, despite the fact that my tush and shoulder are pretty sore, tush from sitting uncomfortably and shoulder from the horn. However, the pay was definitely worth it, and it was so cool to see all of the horses, wagons, elephants and various other acts up close. And the people lining the streets cheering for us just gives you a big high, which makes you feel good. It was something I will definitely take part in again, should I have the chance. Just remind me not to do it if I'm 6 months pregnant again. I was SO exhausted afterwards.
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