Do be silly for Strut the Hooch

It’s time for the silly parade downtown.

You might say it’s silly to say it’s just now time for that, because you see silly people parading downtown all the time.

I would agree with that, as all the time I get stuck behind people driving at a parade’s pace. And they are not in top-down convertibles chauffeuring beauty queens waving in elbow-deep white gloves. They are talking on their cell phones and looking at people on the sidewalk instead of watching where they’re going.

But that is another column.

Strut the Hooch

This column is about the “Strut the Hooch” parade Saturday morning, where as long as you’re silly, you can join in.

The comical procession that helps kick off ArtBeat Uptown is to rendezvous at 9 a.m. at the Springer Opera House on 10th Street across from the Government Center.

It costs nothing to join, but organizers want participants to register through the Strut the Hooch Facebook page and send a message to check in.

Lord knows, we don’t want people in silly costumes just to show up downtown and start parading around. It would be chaos. Or typical. Whatever.

Raconteur Steve Scott started Strut the Hooch to give everyday locals like us a creative outlet, because we all need a break today, and possibly an excuse to dress like a clown without getting shot.

The other day Steve and I had dinner on the balcony at The Loft to discuss this, and I know because I kept the receipt in case I can write it off my taxes.

He said people seem to have a lot of anger these days, and those not in need don’t appreciate what they have, and they focus on what makes them angry instead of what makes them happy, and vent that anger on others.

If they concentrated on what makes them happy, they’d see what they have in common instead of what they don’t.

So, get happy this Saturday for the Strut the Hooch parade.

No, seriously. You have to be happy. We can’t have sad people in a comical parade. That would be silly.

“We’ve got super heroes, mascots, a mermaid, whitewater guides, Springer kids, horses, motorcycles, Mardi Gras maskers, and even a belly dancer,” Steve said Friday.

The route

If you don’t want to get stuck behind another silly parade Saturday, you should note Strut the Hooch struts from the Springer west on 10th street to Broadway, right on Broadway to 12th Street, then U-turns south on Broadway to the 900 block in front of the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts.

So the parade expected to take 30 minutes ends right by the big, monolithic Broadway fountain that squirts water.

“You can do most anything, but this is a family event, so please keep it modest,” is the only Strut the Hooch rule.

So when the parade’s over, don’t throw any bubble bath into the fountain, to make it froth and foam instead of just wet itself.

That would be silly.

This story was originally published March 26, 2017 at 4:26 PM with the headline "Do be silly for Strut the Hooch."