Transcripts

SPEAKER: I'm alone in a crowd, clustered on the curb for the 2 o'clock parade. A pair of gentlemen walk by waving. They wear Casey Jones overalls to promote a railway museum. A voice from our midst sighs, I miss trains. Another responds, I heard they might reinstate service to Duluth. A gray-haired woman up front says, Hallelujah. And a tall black man in dreadlocks says, amen, sister. She turns to smile at us, and we see by her collar that she is indeed of the clergy.

We all burst out laughing, her laugh loudest of all. We are instantly friends. Now, a marching band, overheated in their woolen uniforms, flitting between them a team of adults in khaki shorts bearing spray bottles to spritz each musician at the nape of the neck. A tired voice from our sweaty group says, I wonder if I could hire one of those for the day. Next, an unlikely trio, unicorn, gopher, and marching mosquito. The woman at my elbow chuckles, only in Minnesota.

And here's Smokey the Bear. A man nearby says, man, Smokey's put on a few pounds in 60 years. His wife responds tenderly. So have you, dear. Again, we erupt in laughter. Now the street sweeper closes ranks. A little girl beside me applauds the parade. We all join in. I started this afternoon standing alone, but now I am part of a larger family. We linger together a few moments longer before we go our separate ways.

[MUSIC PLAYING]