We love a parade

Parade time in Nebraska has started already, as eloquently pointed out recently by Uncle Wiggly.

But the big day is this Friday, the 4th of July.
And what does the 4th mean? Celebrating Independence from the hated British? Fireworks? Corn on the cob and watermelon?
Nooooo.

It means getting as many of your candidate's stickers on as many people as you trundle down the parade route.
Well, if you're working on a campaign anyway.

So, in that spirit, we here at Leavenworth Street will be hosting the Independence Day Parade Competition.
There are categories open to any office holder, candidate and/or campaign (so that includes the pro and against sides for the petition drives, if they by chance have parade entries...which would be pretty funny).

Here are the categories for each parade entry (we'll call each a "float", b/c we began to giggle when calling it an "entry"):

• Best Overall Float


• Largest Float Presence (most people walking, etc.)


• Most Creative Float


• Most Grueling Schedule (by an individual candidate or office holder)

A few rules and whatnots:

1) While individual candidates or issues may be entries, "organizations" may not. In other words, no whole political-party entries.
2) Nebraska candidates and office holders only. Sorry John and Barack.
3) Can be a candidate for any office on a ballot. From U.S. Senate to town coroner or whatever.
4) An entry only counts if the candidate is actually there. A "Liebowitz for Senate" float in Ralston, while Fawn is actually marching in North Platte doesn't count.
5) The "Most Grueling Schedule" will be for how many parades an individual office holder or candidate participates in on Friday. We would like a list of the schedule and a photo of said candidate in each parade.
6) Please try to submit everything to us at leavenworthst@gmail.com no later than COB Monday.
7) Please identify each photo, who the candidate is, what category you're entering it for, where it was taken.
8) Please put "Parade Entry Contest" in the subject line of the email.
9) When you submit your photos, please make each no bigger than about 400kb. We really don't want to have to resize them in order to post.
10) Largest Float Presence needs some sort of photo evidence.
11) If you're just on the sidelines and see a good one, pull out your camera phone and have at it. Just make sure you give us all the info.
12) Winners will receive accolades here and an official Leavenworth Street ham. Sent via email. Sometime.

And a few tips for all you field reps preparing your floats.

• Putting the candidate in with a mass of people sort of defeats the purpose. If you can't tell who or where the candidate is, you've blown it.


• The mob of people just wearing campaign t-shirts is fairly boring. At least line 'em up. Have them do something. Sing a song. SOMETHING. Who wants to see just a bunch of unorganized people walking by? No one, that's who.


• Everyone loves balloons.


• If you can see, or hear the float coming from a ways away, that's a good thing.


• Never, ever, run out of stickers.


• Creativity counts. One of our favorites in recent memory was a candidate (we forget who now) for county clerk who had filing cabinets, on wheels, with her name on them. Nice originality.


• You need some sort of vehicle or float. Just a banner doesn't do it.


• (What other tips would YOU give?)

To give you a slice, here and here are some pics from the 4th back in 2006.

We would also ask all the candidates for the House and Senate races to at least send us the best photo you have from the 4th, even if you don't want to enter the contest.

So there you go campaigners. Give us your best shot(s).
(Oh, and drink plenty of water.)