Our little Midwestern town boasts two four-way stop intersections, a small church, a small school, a meat locker and a volunteer fire department. Our Little Town doesn't even have its own zip code.
But, once a year they out do themselves. On Labor Day the population of Our Little Town triples. Kids line up to ride their bikes in the parade, old fashioned tractors and prancing ponies join the mix. Veterans, local politicians, and fireman joining the ranks. After the parade there are games for the kids, BBQ and concessions, and a general milling about catching up with others.
It's a homecoming of sorts, and this year it truly was for The Johnson's, once of China. We sat on the front porch of The Bungalow with our coffees and hot chocolates, watching the pre-parade events.
Bei Bei got caught up in the excitement, and in the last minute decide to ride in the parade. She proudly pedaled her folding Chinese bike along the short parade route, reinforcing every Chinese stereotype with her bicycle bedecked with small Chinese lanterns, a pair of chopsticks in the handle bars, a cheesy computer generated sign and a stuffed panda wire tied to the back. She wore her traditional Chinese yi fu, and the kind of bamboo hat that is popular and practical in Southern China. (Although the one she wore, we actually picked up in Vietnam! I won't tell if you won't!)
Our little 3CK made the local paper, and we think she might have been the cutest thing on two wheels this Labor Day in Our Little Town.
In my little town
I grew up believing
God keeps his eye on us all
And he used to lean upon me
As I pledged allegiance to the wall
Lord I recall
My little town
Coming home after school
Flying my bike past the gates
Of the factories
My mom doing the laundry
Hanging our shirts
In the dirty breeze*
- Simon & Garfunkel "My Little Town"
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