Great day today watching the 2010 Paducah Labor Day Parade go by, grabbed a few handfuls of candy and had some childhood memories come flooding back. The main picture I posted here is the parade leaders as they await the starting time of 9:30. Fairly prompt, maybe 3 minutes late according to my watch, but then again I was not the official timekeeper of the 2010 Paducah Labor Day Parade either.
Allan was the only one that wanted to come with me, so we walked around a bit until we found just the right spot for viewing, in the shade. Allan made a candy haul of about 5 pounds of candy. Not too shabby and I think he just might need help disposing of his take. Of course candy grabbing brought back some memories as did the Shriners/ Masonic Temples. I really should refrain from details of my research into these organizations, but will only say that as a child I really thought they were the bomb (or whatever term was cool back then). Later in my life as God opened my eyes, not so much the great organization I envisioned. Really great in the works department, but so are all of the other religions of the world, except for Christianity.
The Shriners come from the area to entertain the crowd. They have several different vehicles they bring, an old Hillbilly type car, motorcycles, bicycles and a few other kinds. My favorite, by far, was always the go-carts. They would snake their way down Broadway, weaving in and out of each other with hairpin precision. No doubt these men have practiced for an hour or two (yes, I know for longer than that). As a child I always thought it would be fun to drive one of them in a parade. Now I think it would be great to witness to these men, share the true Gospel of Christ with them.
Another thing the Shriners are known for is their Arabic band. Not pleasing on the ears, not pleasing on the eyes, but always something everyone look for. I never could figure out why an out of shape person would want to go shirtless in front of the whole city in a parade. Then again, I can't figure out why they do a lot of other things either, of which sans shirt is the least of their worries. But, the Labor Day Parade ha always been about working, the labor unions. If you ask any member of a union they will tell you that they are the backbone of the working man. I say they have outlived their usefulness and are more concerned about making more money, doing less work and wanting to complain about their employer like they are trying to rob them of something. I do see where unions did serve a purpose in our history, but give me a break already. I will not go into detail here, either, on the downfalls unions have.
The parade ended and we gathered out haul and hit the road. Candy was left scattering Broadway as kids struggled to carry their massive take. Why would they want to stop and pick up a few more pieces of candy? Leave it for the every hungry street sweeper as it inched behind the 3 horses that brought up the rear of the line. Will unions still be around at next years parade? More than likely. Will the Shriners continue to try and work their way to heaven? Probably. Will I be back again? Another probably, as I can't remember ever not going to a Paducah Labor Day Parade. Maybe I will continue with the Mason/ Shriner comments in a future posting. I don't want to step on any toes, but sometimes it is needed. As William Gurnall, the Puritan, said "We fear men so much, because we fear God so little. One fear cures another. When man’s terror scares you, turn your thoughts to the wrath of God." But I definitely need to address this touchy subject with love for those that are part of this group. I must prayerfully seek wisdom to tackle a subject that could drive wedges, but could also open doors. I pray for the later. 
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