It was a hot day, already bright and sunny
when I woke up with excitement. I dressed in blue shorts and
a red short sleeve shirt to be comfortable.
My parents and I packed our car with
fold-out golf chairs and a cooler with 
water bottles.  We ate a light breakfast
quickly and drove on the back roads to 
Peachtree Road in Gilbert.  As we got
closer, the road became unusually
crowded with traffic in this small
town – for it was no ordinary day.
Today was Peach Festival, which
always falls on July 4th.
We parked a few blocks from the route
and walked to the parade.  We
settled our chairs in the shade of 
a tree on the edge of someone’s lawn.
As we waited for the parade to begin,
we greeted the strangers around us and
became friends.
The music started far away and got closer –
It was beginning! Floats, cars, marching
bands, politicians kissing babies, beauty queens
waving, girl scout troops throwing candy.