'Heroes among us' at Rathdrum Days parade
CAROLYN BOSTICK | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 months, 3 weeks AGO
Carolyn Bostick has worked for the Coeur d’Alene Press since June 2023. She covers Shoshone County and Coeur d'Alene. Carolyn previously worked in Utica, New York at the Observer-Dispatch for almost seven years before briefly working at The Inquirer and Mirror in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Since she moved to the Pacific Northwest from upstate New York in 2021, she's performed with the Spokane Shakespeare Society for three summers. | July 21, 2024 1:07 AM
RATHDRUM — “Heroes Among Us” was the theme of this year’s Rathdrum Days Parade and celebrating heroes took on a different interpretation from float to float.
Girl Scouts dressed up in masks and capes and assumed the identity of superheroes as they made their way down Main Street.
On a truck with golden balloon letters spelling out “Heroes” on the front bumper, a message from Rathdrum Mayor Mike Hill declared city staff “true heroes” who keep the city running smoothly.
At the head of the parade, the honor guard carried flags while representing local first responders. A short distance away, American Legion members Ken Johnson and Tim Chandler represented veterans.
Parade grand marshal Tomi McLean walked the parade with a bag of candy, occasionally joking with the crowd, “Don’t tell anyone where you got it from.”
The day’s festivities began with a dance party that turned into a dance contest.
Friends Brenda Wooley and Kennedy Johnson found each other as the dancing began in the street and shared their favorite dance moves with one another.
Kennedy Johnson said the best part of the parade was the dancing, closely followed by candy.
Johnson’s mother, Amanda, said the neighborly pride she has being a part of the community makes the parade a special occurrence for the family.
“It’s got a tightly knit, small-town feel to it,” Amanda Johnson said.