It was the 1963
parade season and it was very rainy. We were assembling
for the Okeonas parade at St. Claud and Poland Ave.
when the down poor started. We all ran for the gym
of the school close by. It rained for close to an
hour but Okeanos was still going to roll.
We asked each other if we wanted to get wet and
parade. The vote was unanimous to march. When
our position in the parade came up, we stepped
out. Luckily the rain tapered off to a light
mist. It would rain and stop, rain and stop,
But we had fun playing September in the Rain.
We had no music to this song, we just started
playing it.
Two other bands
jumped in the parade by the Reviewing Stands about
five blocks before the end, in hopes of getting paid,
but were busted and weren’t
asked to march again. As a result of the corps.
being the only musical group to finish the parade
we were placed in the front of the next years parade
just behind the Captains car. We were placed there
each year there after till the corps, disbanded.
I know this because my wife was a flag bearer in the Masqueraders and she remembers
marching in front for the years she was with them. Were we crazy ? Maybe, maybe
not, But it was fun.
Submitted by Elroy Ingersoll