Blending in

Brian Wilson

like some beach-ball shaped ninja. Personally I think the imagery of me in full-on black pajama ninja mode would be on the borderline of exceedingly disturbing and down-right silly.

I was thinking these thoughts while standing in the middle of Hwy 64 where it does double duty as Gilman’s Main Street on Sunday afternoon taking pictures of the Gilman Dairy Days parade.

I love going to parades. People are generally happy to be there. There are cute children scrambling for candy and plenty of smiling faces of people in the crowds and on the various floats and vehicles watching. In general grumpy people don’t come to parades.

Depending on the community and year there may also be treats for the adult members of the crowd to enjoy.

For the record, Yes, I am totally and entirely talking about the cheese servings such as the ones given out by the crew from Gilman Cheese on Sunday. What did you think I was talking about? Geesh, you people, always assuming that my references are something to do with beer.

Getting back to standing in the street and getting pictures of people enjoying the parade, I am sure that even if I had attempted to skulk, my wearing a set of paperboard cow ears probably would have tipped people off that something wasn’t quite right — I will leave it up to their choice of it having to do with the scene or my sanity.

Then again, there were an awful lot of people wearing the headgear that was being passed out by folks with Superior Choice Credit Union and it was a Dairy Days Parade after all. It was ultimately no more disturbing than being waved at by a lion or having a giant anthropomorphic ice cream cone giving out free hugs along the parade route.

Really, if I truly wanted to skulk along at the parade route, I would have blended in better going as a big block of cheese or perhaps a very large gallon of milk. Come to think of it, my physique is rather milk-jug like, maybe I should think about that for a Halloween or Alumni Bonspiel costume some year. The possibilities are enough to turn one’s stomach.

In general, I think my basic inability to skulk, is a good thing. I think most parents would just as soon not have some creepy skulker taking pictures of their kids, even with law enforcement officers nearby.

Instead there is just some big bearded guy with paper cow ears and The Star News-branded apparel.

You would be correct in believing that newspaper people have issues.

On a more serious note, events like the Gilman Dairy Days don’t happen by themselves. It takes people stepping up to help plan, organize and work at these events to make them possible. It also takes a commitment and support from the business community to allow groups to take ideas and make them a reality.

Great job to everyone involved with the Gilman Dairy Days, I look forward to seeing all the other events coming up this summer.

Just wanted to give an update. A few weeks ago I talked about the health issues my sister Darci was having after what was supposed to be minimally invasive day surgery ended up with a prolonged stay in an intensive care unit after battling sepsis.

I am happy to report that Darci was transferred from the hospital to a rehab center with the hope of going home soon. While closer to being at home, she unfortunately was not able to attend her son’s high school graduation which was held last Thursday night. (New Jersey people don’t have the same obsession with the school year needing to be done by Memorial Day as folks in this area do.)

While Darci couldn’t be there in person, she got to see it on livestream and my niece and nephew paid her a visit after the ceremony.

Brian Wilson is News Editor at The Star News.

I don’t skulk well.

In addition to referring to a group of foxes, skulking means “keep out of sight, typically with a sinister or cowardly motive.”

I should clarify that I haven’t really attempted to skulk or sneak around unseen

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