Thursday, July 04, 2024

The 4th

Happy Fourth of July! I didn't think I had anything appropriate for this day - certainly nothing Disneyland-related; but I did have some scans of some vintage parades that felt patriotic. So that's what I chose. 

This first one is undated - I am tempted to say that it is from the 1940s, but that is a bit of wishful thinking, admittedly. It's probably from the 1950s - "location unknown". Maybe Wisconsin (I can't really read the plaque above the red, white, and blue arch, but it ends with "WIS")? A pretty young woman in pink satin sits on the throne, the Queen of the Parade, says I. 


The next two are from a parade, circa 1947 - 77 years ago. This float is pretty darn patriotic, with red, white, and blue foil, Old Glory, and a woman who probably represents Lady Liberty. The spiky hat gives it away. I wish I knew where this parade was! 


Same parade, another float - this time we have a large globe of the planet Urf, and the flags o' the world. Walt Disney would have approved. The 48-star flag is just a little bit higher than the rest, don't you worry! I feel like this might have been a salute to the United Nations, or perhaps just a nod to global unity after WWII.


I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July!


16 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-
All of a sudden I feel so patriotic-!

Happy 4th to one and all.

TokyoMagic! said...

A pretty young woman in pink satin sits on the throne, the Queen of the Parade, says I.

But where is her crown? Where is her scepter? Where is her bouquet of roses?

Maybe she was just representing the Speedy Cleaners, or Goldblatt's Delicatessen? ;-)

Happy 4th of July, Major and all!

TokyoMagic! said...

Now I'm thinking that first one was taken at California Adventure. There is a sign down low, in front of the seated lady. It looks like it reads, "Baby (something) DCA.

Lou and Sue said...

Goldblatt’s had a delicatessen??

Happy 4th of July!

Major, thanks for providing the fun parade, today.

Nanook said...

@ TM!-
"... representing the Speedy Cleaners, or Goldblatt's Delicatessen". (You little devil-!) Major will be none the wiser-!

JB said...

Hmm, I kinda doubt the first photo was a 4th of July parade, everybody is wearing heavy winter coats. Maybe it's a parade to celebrate the anniversary of this state's entry into the Union. Wisconsin became a state in 1848, so maybe this photo was taken in 1948? If this is indeed, Wisconsin.

In the last picture, the silver foil looks like crumpled up regular aluminum (tin) foil. Lots and lots of tin foil!

Tokyo!, maybe instead of "Baby" the sign says "Lady". But the second word doesn't look like "Liberty".

Thanks for the colorful parade pics, Major. Even if we don't know where, or when, they were taken.

TokyoMagic! said...

Sue, maybe it was Greenblatt's?

Nanook, which delicatessen did I mean?

All I know for sure is, underneath that dress, she's wearing hostess pants. When the parade is over, that dress is coming off and Miss Pink Satin is going to boogie all night long. All she needs is an off-the-shoulder blouse, a big black scrunchy belt, little ballet slippers, and she's all set.

Nanook said...

@ TM!-
Yes - it is Goldblatt's.

Lou and Sue said...

I do remember Goldblatt’s. I just don’t remember it/them having a delicatessen.

And, TM!, we see what you did there. No fireworks for you tonight. You can stay home and write, “I will not torture Major,” 1,000 times.

TokyoMagic! said...

Sue, it's only torture for him, when you tell him that he's being tortured! ;-)

Chuck said...

The Major’s going to be ILL when he reads today’s comments…

The first photo shows a genuine Railway Express Office, not just a reproduction sign. I can’t make out the wording over that door next door either. It looks like it might say “C.I.G. FACT. No 30 WIS.” Which means…well, I’m stumped. But JB’s theory about a Wisconsin Centennial parade makes sense.

Kudos to whoever put together that last float for including the flag of Liberia (rightmost of the three-flag display in front of the US flag). Everybody forgets Liberia.

Happy Independence Day, everyone!

Chuck said...

I'm wondering if the mystery building's name has something to do with a mutual benefit society, a precursor of modern insurance companies that were often organized like or as part of fraternal organizations. The "I.G." could stand for "Insurance Group," and "FACT." could stand for "Faction." Being totally speculative here. For all I really know, it could mean "Crazy Internet Gag Factory No 30 Washtub Illinois Sheboygan."

JG said...

I’m not big on parades, but I’ll make an exception for these.

I don’t know where photo 1 might be taken, but the mystery building looks like cast-in-place concrete, which is unusual for the apparent era and fairly recent date, in spite of how old it looks.

Good stuff today, Major! Everyone enjoy the holiday, do something fun!

JG

Kathy! said...

Happy 4th! I like how a woman and her child, wearing red, white, and blue, are framed in the patriotic bunting in the first picture. Maybe it’s a Yankee Doodle Day parade, T.M.! The crowd observing is really close to that float. These pictures were all in the time of hat-wearing. Does pic 2 have two motels next to each other, or do the buildings go together? Thanks for the colorful photos today, Major!

LTL said...

Happy 4th of July... ps, the New York Times crossword has a great-themed puzzle for today.

great comments about the first photo. perhaps WIS for Wisconsin, but their statehood date is May 29, 1848, and as noted this seems like a cold-weather photo.

for the lettering, perhaps is CIO FACT. No. 30 WIS, in which CIO is Congress of Industrial Organizations labor group (as in AFL-CIO). Perplexing.

Happy Independence Day, and thanks, Major, for the photos

TokyoMagic! said...

Maybe it’s a Yankee Doodle Day parade, T.M.!

Kathy, good thinking! I bet you are right. And maybe Miss Pink Satin was originally only supposed to be a "statue," but she ended up backing her car up over it, so she and had to act as a "stand in."