Before the Parade Passes By
marching through life, being known, and fluffed-flower floats
Welcome to Walk & Talk, my monthly offering to share stories, inspiration, and hope. I’m Kim Knowle-Zeller, mama, pastor, and writer. I’ve lived in West Africa and one summer hiked 500 miles across Spain, and now I call Cole Camp, MO home with my husband, two children, dog, and cat. I love to walk, talk, and share stories. Thanks for being here!
Every year following Labor Day, the town of Cole Camp comes alive for three days during The Cole Camp Fair. Children are off from school. Friends and family come back for the weekend. Class and family reunions gather on lawns and porches across town. It’s a celebration of all things that make this small town life so beautiful: farming, produce, crafts, games, parades, food stands, music, dancing, friends, and family.
On the day before the start of the fair, driving to the school drop off, we hear music and clapping. The early September sun shines and the morning is just cool enough to signal the change in seasons. At this moment though, all everyone is thinking about is the fair. At the entrance to the school, a line of students in blue and white stand with waving arms. Cheerleaders shake pom poms in greeting. The high school volleyball team stand shoulder to shoulder with outstretched hands high-fiving the elementary students as they arrive. It’s a welcome parade to start the day.
The music drowns out for me as I hear the volleyball players yell, “Charlotte! Hi, Charlotte!” I reach my hand back and say, “Have a good day,” but she’s turned and heading out the door to greet the high schoolers. I see her high five the girls with a smile.
How good it is to be known.
How holy to be known by name.
The town is abuzz with energy and anticipation for the fair, which includes three nights of an incredible parade featuring antique cars, tractors, bands, local organizations, fire trucks, and fluffed-flower floats. Beginning in June, members of the community start work on the floats. Every year local churches and the high school senior class each make a float. You have to create a design and figure out what colors of tissue paper to order. The tissue paper needs to be cut, pleated, and fluffed. There’s wire involved and scrapes on fingers. Once you get the design down, piles and piles of cardboard are cut and gridded so the fluffed flowers can be stuffed inside them. Cue more cuts and pokes and blood.
For the first time this summer, Charlotte and Isaac took an interest in seeing the progress of our congregation’s float. It helped that their dad spent hours making the structure, but it also helped that they loved seeing their church friends in the basement chatting and fluffing flowers. This year it was a camping theme for our church with a majestic sunset of purples and reds behind a tent, campfire, and red canoe. There were two tree stumps for kids to sit on for roasting marshmallows.
On the second night of the fair, Stephen was signed up to drive our congregation’s float. We lined up on the main street with the other parade entries. Behind us two 4-H girls designed their own float and carried their pet rabbits. The marching band warmed up and we bobbed along to the drum cadence. Charlotte watched for the cheerleaders' pom poms flying in the air.
So not to destroy any of the flowers, Stephen hoisted the kids on the float where they sat on logs with sticks and marshmallows. Together their smiles lit the night, along with the twinkle lights on the float’s sunset and the roaring fire.
By the time we entered downtown, the streets were lined with people. The sun had set and the fair lights glowed. The announcer welcomed us forward, “And now for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.” Stephen and I sat in the truck while the kids roasted their marshmallows, all of us waving to the people lining the street. Once again, I heard, “Look, it's Charlotte and Isaac!”
A fellow classmate of Charlotte’s shouted, “Lucky ducks, Charlotte and Isaac are on the float!” Sitting on the curb, four high school volleyball players raised their hands in a wave, “Hi Charlotte!”
Over and over, our friends and neighbors waved and called to us.
How good it is to be known.
How holy to be known by name.
For our family, this Friday night parade was the highlight of the three days. Our kids got to be in the spotlight on top of the float, and we got to see them being loved on.
I think we’re all marching through life, our parades of heartache and joys, milestones and sacred, ordinary days. What a gift it is to have someone call our name. To know us and to be known for all our intricacies and gifts. To see us as God does — loved.
What I’m Reading:
The Phoenix Ballroom by Ruth Hogan. A delightful read about second chances and fulfilling life-long dreams. A heartfelt and inspiring story about a wealthy widow who revives a beloved famous local landmark--and restores joy and sparkle to her own life in the process.
What I’m Reading with the Kids:
Bat and the Waiting Game by Elana K. Arnold. This is the second book in the trilogy about a boy on the autism spectrum and his pet skunk.
One of my favorite shirts from the COLE CAMP FAIR says something like this:
For three days out of the year
We live at the
Cole Camp Fair
It’s one of those words that really sums up the heart of the fair — WE.
We’re all ‘fair tired,’ but that’s because we lived life at the fair. For three days. All of it. The joy and fun, the burgers and corndogs, the rides and more rides, the floats, the games, the lights, and even the meltdowns. Perhaps the best part of the fair, though, is that we did it with others.
We shared with friends the solidarity of our kids being overstimulated. We cheered for our friends in the parades and waved at them as they drove by on the float. We marveled at the entries our friends entered and said congrats when they proudly told us of their blue ribbons. We slided and scrambled and coasted on rides. We served burgers and handed out drinks. We sat and laughed and asked each other, “Is it over yet?”
But now with the memories of those three days, I can only think,
“What a joy it will be to do it again next year.”
P.S. I have a favor for those of you who have read The Beauty of Motherhood. Would you be willing to write an Amazon review? They are so helpful for getting others to know about our book! Anyone can review on Amazon whether you’ve bought the book from them or not. Thank you!
“How holy to be known by name.” Beautiful float and beautiful words, friend!
Love that float and love reading about the fair—it sounds so magical! Also, Bomb Shelter is HIGH on my list of all time faves!