Location:  Starts on Park Street near Goodale Park, 120 W. Goodale St., Columbus, Ohio 43215

Prior to attending the 35^th Annual Doo Dah Parade, I asked a few people what the parade was all about. Everyone I asked said it is an extension of Pride. That’s not true. It is an opportunity to exercise the right of free speech through humor. Many times the participants are displaying political satire.

The best quote given when asked why the participants participate was this:

A little anarchy is good for society now and then. Bob Lipetz

Most parades have a grand Marshal. The purpose of a grand marshal is to lead the parade from the front. The grand marshal is usually selected based on their celebrity, and/or how relevant they are to the theme of the parade. The Doo Dah parade has a less than grand Marshal. According to the website, this year it was Johnny DiLoretto. However the picture of Mr. DiLoretto and the picture of the person in the golf cart don’t appear to match…

The picture doesn’t do this justice. I think this was one of the crowd favorites.

My other favorites include:

After all the participants of the parade passed the start, A lady came up to me and asked, “Is that it?” It can’t be. She was comparing it to the length and number of participants from last year. I did make a mental note that there were less participants. I also know that it was hot as fire outside.

I usually take pictures at the start and then walk over to 2^nd Avenue to take pictures from a different angle. There was a drill team group that participated in the parade. At the start the young ladies were fresh and full of energy.  By second Avenue it looked like they could use a tall glass of ice cold water and a shade tree.

Many of the parade participants focused on President Trump and current political issues. There appeared to be a few on the side of a tight border but most were not.

I observed more children participating. A few even holding signs. I think it is good to exercise our right to free speech. The earlier the better.

At the end of the day we are all in this together.

My take on the Doo Dah Parade 2018:

The parade is what you make it. I enjoy celebrating the creativity of the participants. I love that we can laugh at current events, politics, etc. My advice is to come see the parade for yourself.