Mason and I went to Hats Off Day last year and had a lot of fun. He was a bit smaller then so he stayed in the Zooper stroller while I weaved in and out of the foot traffic while watching the parade.
Now that Mason is older, it was the perfect day to take him to a community event. We woke up early in anticipation of getting a ‘good’ seat. We parked near Confederation Park (on a side street) which is free (residential parking) and walked up Willingdon. We settled on a space in front of an empty lot where not a lot of people were gathered. I found it odd that certain parts of the street had more people in it.
After getting Mason set up (water, sunscreen, sunglasses and hat on and a snack) we were ready for the parade. It was supposed to start at 9am but I think it didn’t officially start until about 20 mins later. There was no lack of entertainment to that point; the RCMP zoomed around on motorcycles. The parade lasted two hours and I was pretty impressed Mason’s attention span lasted that long. He was a bit cranky but it was also very hot out and he is two.
Finally the last of the parade (car show) started to park on the east side of Willingdon and the street was closed off to cars. Clayton joined us earlier so the three of us walked around. The show wasn’t much different than last year, same displays, food and giveaways. One absence that was noted was Vitamin water (or I just didn’t see them). I got free samples of lotion, a lot of coupons, a water bottle, balloons, candy and a tooth care kit for Mason and I. I appreciate this as Mason’s already chewed up his toothbrush from his first dentist appointment. He also LOVES the toothpaste [Colgate Kids], much better than the other stuff I bought that tastes like strawberry sugar.
One of our planned destinations was the Fire Hall and it was packed. They had 3 fire trucks on display for the kids to get up in and on to check it out. Mason was mesmorized. A firefighter lifted Mason into the seat so he could ‘pretend’ to drive and we got a few pictures. He was thrilled!
Finally it was time for lunch and I was excited about having cheap sushi. Last year I ate at Yummy Sushi and I did this year too. I was surprised to not see a line up in front of their table. $3.00 for 6 larger pieces. It was decent. I also bought Mason a veggie pizza for $1.50, lots of veggies and a good taste. One thing we ran out of fast was water. I had a full sippy cup for Mason and a large water bottle for me. Next time I’ll bring more.
At the end of the block was a giant bouncy slide which we waiting about 10 mins in line up for. There was no charge and it was fun but the plastic? Vinyl? Was blazing hot and I burnt my foot going down. The slide was for kids only but because Mason was a small guy I got to take him down it :)
We continued to wander down the block and was given a key from Vancity, it was a door prize (literally) for the opening of their new branch. 3 prizes and a ton of keys. The prize was a new washer/dryer. Clayton and I don’t have a need for them but we’d sell them if won. No luck today. Mason was fast asleep now, such a long day!
It was about 1pm by the time we left. A great day had by all!