Hi All!

I just found out that I'm going to be in our local X-mas parade. Does anyone have any good Christmasy ideas. It seems that every couple months or so I end up doing something that I've never done before and a parade is one of those things. I'm excited though. I think it will be alot of fun!

GiGi :)

Are you walking or riding?

Good topic, GiGi!

I will be in my first parade for Thanksgiving and then we'll be doing one for Christmas. I could use some pointers, too.

It's actually up to me whether or not I walk or ride. There is a float/truck I can ride on if I want or I can walk along with it. I'm not sure which one I should do.

GiGi :)

Well Ashes if the one that's done alot of parades. But depending on how long the route is and comfortable shoes. I couldn't walk ours in clown shoes, I'd be to slow. Most parade now will not let you give out candy as this encourage cliildren to run into the parade and could possible be hurt.
I list some of the things I've seen written

a suitcase with grandma's bloomer written on it in big bold letters, ask the crowd if they want to see them, Open and you have big stuffed flowers [bloomers].

sit on the back of a float with a fishing rod, with a large #1. 'you caught the big one.

If you can move around, try to gift wrap some thing moveable, or a rubber chicken. One we rode in a truck and shot bubbles out into the crowd,

red noses are good give aways but depending on crowd may cost to much

or walk along the route and greet people, bounce on feet when shaking hands or have a sqeeker, pass out stickers, make them squeek,

Go to wal-mart get the circular colored stickers in the office supplies area, 3-500 a container, cheep these make great noses [you will not think so I didn't when first told to try it]but kids went nuts for them.

You will need a bottle of water and a small sponge to this one
Wet the sponge and hide in your hand then ask people if they want to see your snowball squeeze the sponge so water drips out now start crying it melted
This should work good in Fla

That's a good one Jamz :D

Yep. That one gets my vote.... Especially in florida!

Cute, Jamz!

Add a carrot and a couple of black buttons or lumps of coal
and you have a melted snowman, or a snowman kit.


I find that it is very hard to walk fast enough in a parade,
and it is most likely due to the big shoes. However, we
usually follow right after some fire equipment and the firemen
aren't very good at going slow enough for a parade, either.
We've been chastised for going too slow, so these days we don't
get to work the crowd much other than waving.

Comfortable shoes are a must, and our parades are only a couple
of miles long. But when we're done, I'm always whooped!!

I like the "shoe shine" gag -- I carry my doctor's bag with
a sign on the side that says "Free Shoe Shine" Then I stop
and pull out a flashlight and shine it on a spectator's shoes.

Build a big telephone pole out of foam. Have a telephone
connected to it by a long string of uninflated 260 balloons.
You walk out in front, talking on your "mobile phone" while the
other clown struggles with the telephone pole.

For our western days parade, I glue a small western hat on
my (bald) head. It's a doll-sized plastic hat and I use nose
glue. We then ride stick horses. I usually dump small
handfuls of sawdust, and we have one clown following up
with a broom and dustpan. He has thought about a sign
that says "I'm just glad they're not stick elephants."
Everybody has stick horses on brooms, but I have mine on
a mop, and have training wheels on it. It's my horse in
training. Periodically I'll stop and mop an area of the street.

Christmassy - my wife has bought several feet of Christmas
garland and wrapped it around her. Wrap up in a string of
christmas lights and "jingle bells" around your wrists and ankles
as well.

Radio and I wanted to carry a ladder between us and have strings
of lights all wrapped up around us and the ladder. A huge tangled
mess. Use battery-powered lights so they can be all lit up.

If you have a radio-controlled model car, put a santa hat over
it so you can have a santa hat that rolls down the street with
you. You or someone can control it and make it circle back around
and between your legs, etc. My only concern there is how long a battery charge would last.

Well, you can see we have done some of this stuff and thought about
doing other bits.

good luck!

Ashes

Sorry about the duplicate long! post -- the board
stopped responding as I posted all that...

Ashes

No problemo, Ashes, I got yer back :wink:

I've thought about building a streetcleaners cart to use in parades... Especially behind the horses... Or the politicans floats. The think the later would be funnier. With a big fake clothespin on my nose.

Whatcha think?

Good idea, Scruffy! I don't know if the kids would
get the satire, but a lot of the adults would!

Ashes

Hmm, I posted something but it must not've gone through because the site bogged down on me.

We have an articulated train for our Thanksgiving and Christmas floats. It would be so cool if I could reserve that last car, throw my legs over the back, and pretend I was fishing. I'm sure I could find a large twig to use for the pole, and Scruff has plenty of foam to make the number "one." Or I could have him make a foam fish. It would surely get some laughs.

There is a balloon design for fishing rod, reel and fish on the end [scruffy could twist the balloons] I don't know if it would hold a number one, but cane grows plentiful around here just find a patch about now cut 2-3 down and let them dry out , they get lighter as they dry out.

No problemo, Ashes, I got yer back :wink:

I've thought about building a streetcleaners cart to use in parades... Especially behind the horses... Or the politicans floats. The think the later would be funnier. With a big fake clothespin on my nose.

Whatcha think? Add a sign saying "This aint no one-horse town!"

Good One Wilmoe!

A Clown Chimney Sweep comes to mind,,,,Lots a soot as with a Hobo look and a sign on y'er back that reads, "Making Way For Santa"

Just a thought,,,,

A Clown Chimney Sweep comes to mind,,,,Lots a soot as with a Hobo look and a sign on y'er back that reads, "Making Way For Santa"

Just a thought,,,,


Excellento Pimento Sam.

Parades are my favoritest thing to do by far!!!!!!!!!!

I've got two sets of battery powered multi colored lights, and similar to what Ashes was talking about I plan on using them strung about my body, but my "Better Half" had an even greater idea:

Buy a pair of those blinking lights that attach to the finger, and when you squeeze them, the lights go off. Here's the premise:

I'm trying to figure out where the "loose" bulb is. I pinch one "pretend" and switch the lights off, still holding the single lit bulb from the bunch, and place it in a parade goers hand. As you can see, this has the potential to go a dozen different ways. I think I will have a child help me find the "magic" light to turn the whole set on. It's a really good idea I intend to use this Christmas, and anyone else trying it out lemme know how it goes!

Bips I love my set of D'lites. I keep them with me all the times, your idea sound great.

Sam I also like the chimmey sweep idea, sounds cool.

This year new people are doing the parade. I'm thinking about seeing if a local golf cart dealer in town with sponsor us and let us use one of his golf carts, they would be easy to climb in and out of if some want to walk and switch places.

I love the chimney sweep and lights ideas! I am planning on be in a couple of parades for Christmas, but had the idea that I would like to do more of a "CLOWN MINISTRY" theme this year. I have been brainstorming, and this is what I have so far:

Get a large christmas-wrapped box and either attatch wheels to the bottom or place in a little red wagon (decorated w/ garland, battery lights, etc.) and comically pull, drag and push the wagon with the package inside it.
The package would have a sign on front that read "Greatest Gift Ever"...(or maybe "Free Gift"...haven't finalized details yet :) ) and would have a gift tag at top that said "To: everyone Love: Jesus"
Inside the package would be holiday themed bible tracts (about the "GIFT" of salvation) that could be handed out to the audience.

It seems a little too plain, but is all I have come up with so far... What are your opinions on this? I love some of the other ideas posted, but again, I thought that this would be a great opportunity to share God's love with the entire community all at the same time!

I'm resurrecting this thread!!! Have a Christmas parade coming up and some of these are great ideas!!!

I love the one with the battery operated lights. That sounds like something we could do this year.

Any other ideas........I'm thinking, I'm thinking!

Punkin

I'm an elf, and just purchased a whole bunch of snowballs at a party store. They are soft, quilt batting with glitter on them. Since I am a naughty little elf, I go around throwing snowballs at people and they throw them back. I'll have a wet sponge handy next time! Thanks a million.

As you said, "Comfortable shoes are a must, and our parades are only a couple
of miles long. But when we're done, I'm always whooped!!" I have been an elf this Christmas. I quickly discovered that elf shoes can be very uncomfortable especially in parades. (We have a lot of brick streets around here.) I went to my closet, cut out the soles of some old bedroom slippers, and put them inside the elf shoes. Instant relief. It feels like walking on clouds and I can easily keep up with the parade now. Just an idea for comfort.... and cheap.