Shout out to the local crowd! If you don’t know about the Doo Dah Parade, then read on.
It is simply fantastic. Every year, the Sunday before Thanksgiving along part of the route of the Rose parade, they hold the Doo Dah parade. It is simply the antidote to squeaky-clean wholesome parades such as the Rose parade (and others coming up in the next several weeks).
It kicks off at 11:30am… be sure to be there by 10:45 or earlier to get a seat on the roadside!
I can’t go into just how excellent it is due to lack of time, but just imagine you were filling out the application form to enter a float into the Rose parade, or the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade, etc. Imagine the sorts of floats suggestions that might get you immediately disqualified. (Not lewd stuff but clever stuff…. ironic stuff…wicked stuff…stupid stuff). Well, those are the floats that will be there!
Some of my favourites I’m looking forward to seeing again?
(1) Claude Rains and the 20-Man Memorial Invisible Man Marching Drill Team
(2) The Bastard Sons of Lee Marvin
(3) Barbecue and Hibachi Marching Grill Team
(4) Men of Leisure Synchronized Nap Team
The website for the event is here.
One of these years I will implement my idea of having a float of scientists from USC, Caltech, UCLA, and other places…..we could have some fun with that!
Hope to see you there? Shout out and say “hi” if you see me. Oh, maybe I’ll run into Caolionn and Sam?
-cvj
November 18th, 2005 at 11:10 pm
Sadly, I can no longer call the land of sun my home. I am now a full-time resident of the land of wind, and only return to the sun during designated university vacation periods. The day of this event has unfortunately not been designated. Therefore I will be unable to attend. But I would love to run in to you some other time!
November 18th, 2005 at 11:13 pm
Sam Gralla… see you sometime in the future then!
-cvj
November 18th, 2005 at 11:23 pm
In Columbus, we do the Doo Dah Parade on July 4th… always a good time. November would be way the hell too cold.
November 18th, 2005 at 11:51 pm
Ah, the Doo Dah…
Caltech students had a “Star Wars” entry in the 1987 parade.
I marched, we were right ahead of the synchronised briefcase squad.
Excellent.
I discovered that Pasadena Police do have a sense of humour.
November 19th, 2005 at 6:17 pm
Clifford, you really should approach some financial interests with that float idea. Somebody in the greater LA region would/should be interested in demonstrating the great value of the science that is brought into the world through students and research at all these great SoCal universities and colleges.
November 19th, 2005 at 7:10 pm
What? A Doo Dah Parade? Do I live in a bubble? I frickin’ live here and I have never heard of the Doo Dah Parade. Thanks for the head’s up, I might be seeing you there.
And, Clifford, if you got any other info on the goings on in my backyard, please share. It seems I’m a bit oblivious.
November 20th, 2005 at 1:30 am
Caolionn,
There are so many things going on! Have to pick and choose. Will give you a shout from time to time (send me an email so I don’t have to use a blog post to do it!)….maybe see you guys at some of them? See you (and maybe other Caltech folks?) on the roadside tomorrow I hope.
Cheers,
-cvj
November 21st, 2005 at 10:15 pm
If you need scientists for the parade idea, count me in!
November 21st, 2005 at 11:29 pm
Ok…. you’re in!
I was thinking of a float with just a bunch of “scientists at work”….so just bring whatever you’re working on with whoever you’re working with and we set up a bunch of blackboards on the back of a big truck and just talk and collaborate…drink coffee, whatever….. all wearing white lab coats? Maybe even had a lab bench or two with real experiments…..
-cvj
November 23rd, 2005 at 11:35 pm
[...] Here are some things that you won’t see in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parades that will be all over the news (including outside the USA) tomorrow. These are from the wonderful Doo Dah parade I told you about earlier. [...]
April 18th, 2006 at 10:35 am
Hey I want to join the parade who do I talk to about where to show up and when etc?
November 19th, 2006 at 10:48 am
[...] It is the antidote to the (sometimes nauseatingly wholesome) Rose Parade that takes place at New Year’s, or the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Here is what I said in a blog post last year: [...]