Comments (0) Best Parade - 2005
PrideFest parade
Parades are inherently dorky. There's just something goofy about lining the streets to watch a football team or a collection of civic-minded wonks or a Pork Queen march by while waving as if they were conquering heroes. The exception is the Pride St. Louis PrideFest parade. Are the participants of this one parade cooler simply because they are the GLBTA community? Maybe. Probably. Let's just say it doesn't hurt. There's a certain flair to this parade, a joie de vivre that remains unparalleled. Perhaps it's the fabulous clothes? Mayhaps the massive float sponsored by Novak's, dripping with gleefully shouting women? Maybe it's because all the paraders have a certain swagger -- we hesitate to use the more accurate "cockiness" (decorum, you know) -- that stems from the powerful sense of pride each of them feels in who they are and what being in this parade means to them. And of course, any parade that includes a puppet/effigy of Governor Matt Blunt that people can jeer and taunt -- well, that's much more fun than watching Shriners drive by in those tiny cars.
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