Riding bikes in the Thanksgiving parade downtown

Joseph and Josh take a selfie on Market Street with the Arch in the background, just before the BWorks group began riding in the parade.

About a year and a half year ago, Joseph earned a new bike through the BWorks program in St. Louis. Since then, he and I have enjoyed a number of biking adventures through BWorks’ alumni rides, including riding the Riverfront Trail, and then canoeing back downtown.

But this November, BWorks sent us a very unexpected last-minute invitation: Did we want to ride our bikes in the Thanksgiving parade downtown?

Continue reading “Riding bikes in the Thanksgiving parade downtown”

Joseph joins marching band

The STEAM Academy middle school marching band

Joseph (who just turned 13 last month) marched with the STEAM Academy Middle School’s band in the Valley of Flowers parade! He began playing clarinet last fall, and we’ve been so impressed with his progress.

This was a new experience for everyone — Joseph, us, even the school.

STEAM was one of the last groups in the parade, and I was stationed near the end of the route, so it took a LOT of waiting to see him. Once he came past, I shot some video, then kept sprinting ahead to try to get photos. After doing that several times, I started getting the stinkeye from the kids.

Joseph plays his clarinet as he marches with the STEAM Academy middle school marching band

The temperatures reached 93°, which is pretty hot for early May. Joseph later said that the parade experience helped him learn “that cold water was 1,000,000× more valuable than gold.”

Watch this short video of Joseph and the band: