We haul our folding chairs to the curb on Memorial Day, Independence Day, the last day of the annual village festival and, finally, Labor Day. There's something about these humble processions -- with their marching bands and Boy Scout troops, firefighters and law-enforcement officers, businessmen and local officials -- that epitomizes small-town life here in the Midwest.We love it. This is home.
A couple of things linger with me from this morning's Labor Day parade. Notably, it featured more fire and EMS equipment than I think I've ever seen in one place -- and not just from our township, either, but from communities throughout central Ohio. It was impressive, quite a showing.
I'm also remembering a simple banner. Its aim was political, certainly, promoting a slogan we'll hear ad nauseum from the incumbent during the 2010 gubernatorial campaign, but the message struck a chord.
Those words crystallize the difference between a life I once lived and the life I live now. They capture the essence of a small-town parade, the spirit of a community.
They fix our position -- home.