Parades are pure fantasy any way you look at them. Where else do you see people playing music on the street while marching in formation, a beauty queen and her court on a float, clowns throwing candy at the watching crowds, beautiful horses advertising the track against the beautiful architecture of Wacker Drive and State Street? My Mom would take us as little tykes to the parades downtown and pushed us to the front and said to sit on the curb. It is there that the thumping of the drum and bugle corps pounded against my little body with an energizing rhythm. When photo instructor at UIC Robert Steigler told us to look for the surreal images in parade photography I immediately got it. The Santa Fantasy Parade in 1981 starts on Wacker Drive along the Chicago River with the Merchandise Mart in the background and continues down State Street to the throng of the families waiting for Santa and his reindeer. The crowds were massive and it was difficult to control them as they inched closer to the floats as they drove by. Watch the video of the parade here in color and get a chuckle from the commercials and sponsors. Schwinn (still made in the USA), Red Lobster and Homer’s Furniture. Vintage imagery still gets me and this video is no exception. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOOsy_D4rJ0