I Love a Parade

I love being part of Dragon*Con. It’s a great way for my inner geek to celebrate with like-minded peeps. One of the many ways to become more involved is to be in the parade.

The amount of work and planning that goes into this is amazing. Everything is mapped out. There is a staging area for setup. A Dragon*Con volunteer is around to direct people where they need to go. Each group has an assigned spot. Each spot is in the order of lineup. As the parade progresses, each group falls in according to their number. This year, there were 55 spots.

There were no small groups. From my overall view, the smallest had approximately 30. There were several that had more than 100. Themes varied. I was in the Period Table, where participants dress as elements on the periodic table. Behind us was the Star Wars group. I think it makes for a varied presentation.

The crowd must love it. Thousands lined the streets and walkways. I could see people peeking out windows and hanging over ledges to watch the procession. This was probably the biggest turnout to date.

It is a blast getting the crowd involved. People wave, cheer, and high-five participants. There is a lot of laughter. It is a great time for all.

I am looking forward to doing it again next year. Be a bigger part of Dragon*Con. Be a part of the Parade.

Author of the article

Award-winning author Amanda Faith may have been raised in Dayton, but her heart and home is in the South. With a lifelong love of teaching and writing, she had plenty of encouragement from teachers and friends along the way. Loving a good puzzle has always been a fascination, and writing gives her the outlet to put all the pieces together. Being adventurous and loving to try new things, it wasn’t long before her characters found themselves in unusual situations. She loves to put people from two different worlds into new situations and to see how they interact, taking them on journeys they would never have normally experienced. Her current adventure working as a high school English professor turned Media Specialist, writing, and doing paranormal investigations doesn’t slow her down from having a great time with a plethora of hobbies. Her published credits include several short stories, poetry, several journal articles, her doctoral dissertation, and her award-winning book Strength of Spirit. With multiple degrees, she has a passion for learning and exploring new venues. She is a staff writer for The Daily Dragon at Dragon Con. Check out her new website (www.amandafaith.net) or on Instagram (@dramandafaith)