Parade as art form

Salvador Dali (or his close cousin, Tom Atkins) drove the tractor

Each Fourth of July is parade day in Calistoga. Well, one of our parade days. This one, known as the Silverado parade, is one of the bigger ones.

Stopping traffic as we moved sloooowwwly down the highway....

This year the Calistoga Art Center entered the parade for the first time – the ideas and impetus behind it all came from the creative genius of Sequoia Buck. Here are a few photographs I took of the art center's entry (and from the float, which I rode during the parade).

Frida Kahlo (a.k.a. Sequoia Buck) photographs Salvador while we wait on Cedar Street

Lined up on Cedar Street and waiting for the parade to begin....

A little time to relax and take photos beforehand....

My dog, Zoe, was our patient, loveable mascot.

A little timely local commentary (Wine = Jobs)

Parade Watchers © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

We're moving now, down Lincoln Avenue, to the sounds of the Beatles playing "In My Life."

Starry Night on the Fourth of July © 2010 Eleanor Ingalls

All around the float we had dancing artists, who would come together with their individual "paintings" to create... "Van Gogh's Starry Night," rendered by Sequoia. (Thanks to my mother, who followed us along the street, weaving through the crowds in spite of her recent foot surgery, to get this shot.)

Parade Watchers © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

They're liking it!

Artists dancing down Lincoln Avenue. Getting a little tired at this point....

The last "Starry Night", on the home stretch to the county fairgrounds.

It was a good day! And we won first place.