Our fifth Peace Train in the Montrose Christmas Parade

[Roberta]

I may or may not be creating a new thread for this year's parade. Applications are due soon and I am just about to send in ours. Our donation to be a parade supporter is due in a couple of weeks, so anyone who wants their own tax donation needs to let me know ASAP and then get me a check payable to "Montrose Christmas Parade Association." Donations to reimburse me are welcome whenever!



"The 2014 Montrose Christmas Parade is Saturday evening, December 6th, and we will march for the fifth year with our beautiful Peace Train sponsored by the Montrose (now including Glendale) Peace Vigil.

It is more fun than ever because now it rolls along on wheels. No heavy lifting, just groovin' to Yusuf Islam and greeting the adoring crowds.

You know the drill -- come for food and socializing at my house one block from the parade route beginning at 3:30 that afternoon. We go up to our spot on Honolulu Avenue at 5:00 p.m. and the parade steps off at 6:00 p.m.

Another way you can bring the peace message to this large, mainstream audience is with a donation of any amount to help pay to be a parade supporter. This gets our name on all the publicity for the parade. I am seriously considering going big this year with a $1,000.00 (tax deductible) Silver sponsorship. Peace needs promotion now more than ever.

If you have questions, directions or want to donate, let me know. Mark your calendars to parade for peace on December 6th in Montrose. And invite all your peacenik friends too!"

[anni]

Bringing my donation to the vigil, tomorrow...

[Brian]

Mike engineered the wheels on the Peace Train for last year's Montrose Christmas Parade.

Thank you, Roberta, for starting this thread -- and for everything you do to keep the Peace Train on track and to gather so many happy passengers every year. Here is the link to the Montrose Christmas Parade Association's webpage for the event on Saturday, December 6:

www.montrosechristmasparade.com/2014Event.htm

Most of the 28 people who marched with the Peace Train in 2013.

[Roberta]

Our entry form and SILVER sponsorship is all squared away. So far 3 people who joined in last year have told me that they can't get on board again in 2014. I hope that other MPVers are also reaching out for happy passengers.

[Roberta]

Hi Mat's Mom (and Mat and younger brother, if I am thinking of the right young men who joined our vigil several times earlier this fall) and everyone else reading this. Hope everyone will come out and parade for peace on Saturday, Dec. 6th in Montrose. I believe The Peace Train rolling through our town will help support our troops at least as well as a DVD or Amazon gift card. Here's the scoop:

All Aboard the Peace Train!!!
The Montrose Peace Vigil is a Silver sponsor of the 2014 Montrose Christmas Parade, on Saturday evening, Dec. 6th For the 5th year we will bring our peace message to a huge, friendly audience with the Peace Train, our beautiful hand-painted, person-powered entry, and all who desire peace are invited.

The parade steps off at 6:00 p.m. on the 6th. You are welcome to gather beginning at 3:30 pm at Roberta’s house, near the parade route yet with easy parking, for socializing and soup.

[anni]

Here's, by far, the best video from the first three years our Peace Train appeared in the Montrose Christmas Parade. Can you tell it was drizzling the whole time? It was the last time we rolled without wheels...Thanks to Mike the Peace Train is a much smoother ride...and I'm down with that, for sure.

[anni]

The Montrose Christmas Parade Association updated its webpage on Tuesday. It now shows Montrose/Glendale Peace Vigil as a Silver Supporter in such company as the chamber of commerce, Glendale Community College and the Starbucks across the street from our weekly vigil. Our name in the rectangle is also a link to this message board:

www.montrosechristmasparade.com/2014Event.htm

[Brian]

32 peaceniks march with the Peace Train in the Montrose Christmas Parade

Adding the four others who could not march but came to Roberta's house then the parade staging area to assemble and decorate the Peace Train, the Montrose/Glendale Peace Vigil continent had three times the average attendance of our weekly vigil -- and the best turnout for the Peace Train in its five years.

Mike again was the engineer, in both meanings of the job, designing the rolling structure and pulling it within the panels. For the first time, Anni served as his principal guide, so I as the costumed conductor got to interact more with the folks lining the street deep into the sidewalks -- waving, flashing peace signs, clapping, calling out "Merry Christmas" and "Peace on Earth" and, sometimes, cheering. What's it called when people extend their arms so you can brush palms as you walk by?  I got that from a lot of kids this time.  Cat Stevens' "Peace Train" played four times along the route, heard better than ever.  Jenny and Calvin led with the banner. So many helped to get the Peace Train rolling, but everybody has Roberta to thank for beautifully organizing everything and being such a wonderful host before the parade.

Anni will post some photos in this thread soon.   And we'd love to hear what others thought and how they felt about this year's Montrose Christmas Parade.

[anni]

As promised a few pics...candid and a group shot:

[Jeanne]

I think our train was better than other this year. Roberta's invitations were very effective and the soup and chocolate fortified us for the wait. It seemed to me that more and more people are flashing back peace signs at us. It's so good to see two fingers raised instead of the one we used to get so often. It was also good to talk to Bert Newton, leader of the Palm Sunday Peace Parade in Pasadena. I think Montrose Peace Vigil will be a sponsor of that this year and CVUMC will also support it. He learned a lot about what we've been up to and maybe there will be more partnerships in the future.