Tri-Town Summer Festival Parade - Part 2

I was in the tiny settlement of Brasher Falls, watching the Tri-Town Summer Festival Parade (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). The three towns, which in New York are what are called townships elsewhere, are Brasher, Stockholm and Lawrence. They are all so rural that they band together for many things. This float featured live Country/Western music:

And a bus featuring the reunion of the class of 1982:

This float was entered by the Lawrenceville Baptist Church. It is common for local churches to put floats in parades, so I saw nothing odd until I got home and took a closer look at the photo. Then I began wondering about the pillory, the stone dungeon walls and the word "poultry." What that had to do with the church building a better future for God's children, I don't know:

I thought these were Smurfs, but I looked them up when I got home and learned that all Smurfs are blue and wear white domed hats. Whatever they were, they were cute:

This woman, a nearby neighbor of mine, was leading one of her donkeys with a Suicide Awareness message. Her daughter committed suicide and I'm glad that she is involved with helping others:

Another of the many firetrucks:

I wondered about the folded hoses on this firetruck, what the three different colors meant:

A tanker truck. I've seen them filling up at the St. Regis River near the feed store:

A fascinating but enigmatic float with a live donkey and two dogs. A business card which I was handed explained that this was "The Equestrian Sport Training Center" in Winthrop, NY. As to the meaning of the canoe, chainsaw, pine tree, cedar fence, etc. - the theme of the parade was "Wild And Woolly." This was my favorite float. Not only were they creative, but I almost understood it:

And old fashioned horse and buckboard:

At the end of the parade were folks on horseback, with a state trooper bringing up the rear. I thought it wise that they put the horses last, so the other paraders wouldn't be stepping in horse manure. It was a decidedly small town parade, which is why I so enjoy it each year. The people are friendly and the scenery is first rate:

Tri-Town Summer Festival Parade - Part 1

I couldn't find it online so checked at the feed store and learned that the Tri-Town Summer Festival Parade would be on Saturday at 1:00. I drove to Brasher Falls New York, parked my car and found a shady spot with the sun at my back for taking pictures. The parade began (and ended) with a state trooper's car, lights flashing. Next in line was the VFW:

There was an antique car and about four local political hopefuls. I found it odd that anyone might think that being in a parade would garner someone's vote, but then I never did understand the ways of politicians:

There were several small wagons such as this, and apparently they were used to haul pamphlets and candy to hand out. Every parade entrant tossed handfuls of candy to the crowd:

There were numerous fire trucks from the three towns - Brasher, Stockholm and Lawrence. Brasher Falls, Winthrop and Lawrenceville are smaller settlements in those towns:

Brasher Falls and Winthrop are in different towns but adjacent, so they share a fire department:

The floats were by and large a mystery to me. The sign on this odd float, which had a fish woman and a mammal of some kind, read "TTVRS will ____ there at any sticky situation." I guessed that TTVRS was an animal control service and maybe the unknown word was "bee," though I couldn't read it. And what was the mammal holding? It looked a little bit like a ham to me, but what was the red on it? As you will see, I was left to guess about a number of floats.

Right behind it was this bear on a stretcher with a bee hive on its hand. The woman was carrying a giant EpiPen. I guessed that this was part of the former float and added credence to my guess about the unknown word being "bee:"

A local bar/restaurant on the banks of the St. Regis River. This one I understood:

Another mystery float, though I supposed this was a children's hockey team:

Cubby T. Clown appears in all the local parades and I am used to seeing the car. I was surprised, however, that this time there was no one inside the car dressed as a clown. By the way, notice the old gazebo in the yard across the road. Some of the old houses and yards were fascinating, and maybe I'll present a post about them some day:

Another mystery: A Volkswagen Beetle pulling a boy, wearing a gas mask, on a skateboard. Whatever statement they were making was lost on me. There was more to come, though, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Brasher Falls-Helena Road, A Driving Tour

I turned onto County Route 53, which runs from the hamlet of Helena to the hamlet of Brasher Falls, deciding to take a driving photo tour. I'd reached Brasher Center when I saw these two small barns/sheds, and stopped for a photo:

And not too far behind the two sheds in the above photo was this handsome, two-toned barn. Did they never finish painting it or was it owned by two family members who each took half? I guess I'll never know:

A shingled barn in the old, traditional green color:

And an unpainted barn, supporting lots of dormant vines, sitting right up close to the road:

A striking barn with the tallest sliding door I've ever seen. I couldn't help but wonder what was stored inside which required such a tall door:

Twin silos, barns, tractor, pickup truck and an old John Deere tractor:

I stopped at this vegetable stand which still had a sign which advertised last season's sweet corn prices. Last year it sold for $4.00 per dozen:

This looked like a horse barn to me, but I didn't see any horses:

A very old barn which seemed to be sagging in the general direction of the slanted ground upon which it had been built:

A former dairy barn, apparently not now in active service:

As I approached the settlement of Brasher Falls, the road paralleled the St. Regis River. Because of the melting snow, it was swollen and overflowing its banks, covering the adjacent hay fields:

I did notice that the other side of the river didn't appear to be flooding, and I'll bet the owners of this waterfront home were grateful for that. But I was passing out of farm country and into the settlement of Brasher Falls, so I put my camera away and concentrated on getting home:

Scenic Brasher Falls, New York - Part 2

I was on a driving tour which had taken me into the tiny settlement of  Brasher Falls, New York (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). Many of the houses in Brasher Falls were unusually attractive:

And many looked historic, albeit modernized:

In the center of town, I came upon this Victorian masterpiece, with a wraparound porch, balcony, and carriage house. It appeared to me that Brasher Falls was once home to some thriving businessmen. Perhaps it still is:

And near the Victorian house was this even more historic looking home which looked Colonial to me:

And behind the Colonial home were these magnificent barns:

I continued driving, passing this old barn or carriage house, now a double garage:

In the center of town I came to the St. Regis River, still covered with much ice despite our recent warmer weather:

Beside the river and near the highway bridge was this War Memorial, erected only recently:

I crossed the St. Regis River on the highway bridge (which you can see in the above photo) and parked behind a riverside restaurant. From there I could see the remains of an old stone mill on the falls, probably the reason the pioneers settled here and became prosperous:

I continued on my way, snapping one more photo of a typical house. Brasher Falls appears to be more prosperous than many other small towns, and most of its homes are well cared for:

The regional central school is in Brasher Falls, which may account for at least some of its relative prosperity. This is the St. Lawrence Central School and home of the "The Larries." But it was time for me to get home, where all my dogs and cats were waiting. I put away my camera and focused on driving:

Tri-Town Summer-Fest Parade

Three hours after the frog jumping contest (see yesterday's post), the parade through Brasher Falls, New York began with the VFW:

New York is divided into towns (townships) and then further into smaller settlements and villages. But the towns of Stockholm, Brasher and Lawrence are so rural and sparsely populated that they join together for many things. There were lots of fire engines:

And a high school marching band from Chateaugay, New York. I thought that was a long way away so I checked Google Maps. Indeed, Chateaugay is 41 miles east of Brasher Falls, a one hour drive:

There were antique cars:

 The parade theme was "Family Game Night" and the first themed float honored the game of Scrabble:

 And another recalled the game of Operation, which brought fond memories from my childhood:

There was lots of music on trucks and trailers - three bands, a Country Western singer and a DJ:

The game of Life, another favorite from my childhood. Apparently families are still playing some of the same games we did back in the Stone Age:

This float said it was the Candy Castle Game, a new one to me:

The theme of this was "Stop Animal Abuse" and it was accompanied by a woman in a Monarch Butterfly costume and marchers carrying an elderly dog:

This band is called "North Country" and the drummer is the neighbor who cut my hay:

A float from a local church:

And a float from our local High Peaks Winery. I'd carefully planned my exit and was able to start my car and easily drive away after the last float went by. Small town life has many advantages and in many ways it seems idyllic: