Hastings Rivertown Days Parade 2017

Hastings Rivertown Days Parade 2017

The Hastings Rivertown Days Parade is a big event every year.  It’s fun to see people we know in the community handing goodies out to the kids.  We also enjoy the creative and fun floats, vehicles and walkers.

For a severe allergy family, we can’t enjoy the candy, but the kids always have fun collecting it.  The big girls usually gather up all of the candy and divide it among themselves.  I give the little kids safe, homemade “candy” or safe treats that I’ve found online.

This year, we went to the Kingdom Hall early in the morning, then rushed home as fast as we could (while not speeding, safety first!) for the parade.  The kids changed into play clothes and we rushed down to try to find a spot.  As usual, the roads were packed with people.  Every year, people set out chairs, blankets, and towels to reserve their spots.  The curbs, sidewalks, and lawns are always packed with people.

The parade was well under way by the time we got there, but it wasn’t even halfway over.  One year, the parade was over two hours long!  Thankfully, this year it was only about an hour.  Two hours can get kind of long for little ones.

Right away, we found our friend’s Matt and Silvana and their children.  They were kind enough to let us join them.  While the little kids gathered up goodies, we relaxed in the shade of the tree we were under.  Thankfully, this year it was mostly cloudy.  Other years have been hot and sunny.  I always feel bad for the marching band kids in full sleeved jackets.

There were a few new additions to the parade this year.  Sponsors rented a fire truck that had been active in New York during 9/11.  Little Log House Pioneer Village had a huge piece of antique farm equipment.  As usual, there were mobile bands, marching bands, horses, and local businesses.  I really enjoyed the landscaping displays.  It was a beautiful and fun day.

Does your family enjoy going to parades?

Check out our video!

Hastings Rivertown Days 2017

Hastings Rivertown Days 2017
Every year we go to Hastings Rivertown Days.  One of our favorite things to do as a family is to go to The Dime Carnival.  The kids play games to their heart’s content and win tickets to pick out fun prizes.

Every year, it always seems as though it’s on one of the hottest days of summer.  Since the carnival is in a parking lot, the heat is reflected up off the asphalt, making it feel even warmer.  This year was no exception.  Not about to let a little heat ruin our day, we enjoyed the carnival and hid out inside the prize area to cool off when needed.

Princess has always loved picking ducks in the duck pond.  Mr. Awesome loves the jumpy house.  Cupcake loves all the games.  Cat is starting to get to an age where the carnival is too young for her.  She loves helping the younger kids play the most.

After cooling off at home, we went to the library to drop off some books and pick up some more.  As soon as I walked into the library, my eyes started itching.  Cat said “Oh look Mom!  A beautiful dog!”  I turned to see a huge white dog near us walking across the library.  It must have been a therapy dog.  Unfortunately, because of my allergies, I left the building while the kids had fun picking out books with Dad.  Outside I enjoyed photographing the library’s beautiful garden.

We stopped at Walmart for a few necessities and I got a contact case and solution so I could take out my contacts ASAP.  My eyes were burning so much I could barely see.  After I removed them, in the middle of the aisle at Walmart, I felt such relief.  Although I was now blind.  I had to hold Nate’s hand through the rest of our Walmart trip.

My vision is -8.50 for contacts.  I’m not legally blind with my contacts (legally blind is a legal term used to sort out those who can apply for medical benefits.  Anyone who can not see with corrective lenses after a certain point is considered legally blind.  I am very thankful that corrective lenses work for me.  I will never be able to have perfect vision even with them, but it’s still a blessing I am thankful for.).  Without them, I am blind.  I can’t see definition, I can only see basic blurry shapes.  I can see colors, dark and light.

What You See
What I See

As you can tell from the image above, I can not see very well.   We stopped to get the kids ice cream at our local dairy co op, then checked out the craft fair at the LeDuc mansion across the street.  Since I couldn’t see, Nate took my hand and led me around.  He described what was around us and what was in each booth we passed.

I heard a familiar voice call out to me.  My friend’s Katie and Dusty from our Kingdom Hall were there!  I got a chance to check out an amazing card booth with them.  The cards opened up into intricate pop-up scenes all made of colorful paper.  One was a ship, another a camera, others were scenes of various places around the world.

Although I am blind from a distance, I can see up close.  I mean extremely up close.  Whatever I’m looking at must be a couple of inches from my eye.  What I do see from that close is detailed almost microscopically.  I can see the tiny details that the normal eye can’t see.

With the cards, I could see the fiber of the paper, the tiny cuts and details.  It was like stepping into a new world where fantasy and reality collide.  I intended to go back and purchase some cards after I got my contacts in, but sadly that was the last day.  Perhaps I’ll get the chance to see them again next year.

We purchased some sheets from a vendor and then went home to enjoy pizza and family night.  Thankfully I was able to put in a fresh set of contacts to see.  After that, we walked down to the river to enjoy the Hastings Rivertown Days fireworks.  It was a busy and fun day.

Check out the video of our day!