Greater Galesburg Day...

Every summer, on the third Saturday in June, our town has a little day of celebration. A day where young & old, past & present, people of Galesburg gather together for a day of fun. The festivities of the day start off with the annual parade through town. Andrew was my only participant this year since Austin didn't play tball this summer. Of course, half the fun with parades is the throwing and catching of candy. I loaded Andrew with 4 good size bags of various candy, and I swear, Austin and Aaron collected about that much to bring back home! We found a great spot in the shade closer to where the parade started and sat back to watch all the participants go by. I was shocked that Alexis slept through the entire thing, especially when the tire trucks and police cars came by with their sirens blaring. I guess that just goes to show how heavy of a sleeper she is!

Andrew with his team waiting for the parade to start...

Throwing the candy in the parade...

After the parade, the kids and I, along with my parents, made our way towards the middle of town to see what other festivities were going on. Of course there were all kinds of places with food because of all the extra visitors, so we stopped and had a little lunch before the kids could fill up soley on candy. Once we were done eating, we ventured to the park where games, a dunk tank, blow-up slides, and even a little petting zoo awaited. Andrew was the only one interested in playing the little carnival games, so Austin and Aaron took full advantage of the two blow-up slides. Next it was on to the little petting zoo sponsored by our local 4-H. All the kids loved petting the little lambs, goats, chicks. Also there was a reptile petting zoo complete with snakes, turtles and a baby alligator. Austin took interest quickly and wanted to touch (and hold) everything! Andrew and Aaron preferred to stand back and just watch from the sidelines - like their mom!

Austin holding a snake...

And then petting the baby alligator...

After santizing Austin's hands A LOT, we made our way into the fire station to get in line for a ride on the fire truck. Since there is was a long line, the kids were able to have some cake and ice cream to make the wait time seem less miserable. Aaron had been waiting all day for his ride on the fire truck, and was so giddy when it finally pulled up to pick us up. My mom volunteered to stay back and watch Alexis, the the boys and I climbed up the steps to the top of the truck and away we went. Although it was just a short ride through town, the kids found it so thrilling and giggled the whole time.

Andrew and Austin enjoying the ride...

Once the ride was over, the kids started to melt down and I knew it was time to head home. It was a great day out and a great way to spend time in our little town. It's funny how I can remember doing this as a child with my parents and siblings, and now I am able to do it with my own kids. To me, it's one of those perks of coming from and going back to living in a small town :)