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In the past week I've been to two parades, one of my favorite features of summer in Iowa.

Parade watching is an especially simple, pleasant way to while away a summer evening. A lawn chair in a shady spot, a bag to hold the goodies thrown along the parade route, something cool to drink while waiting for the parade to pass by, and you're all set. You don't need anything fast or technical like a cell phone or an Ipod; in fact, it's all the better if you don't. These basic rules are the same whether it's a morning or an evening parade.

Actually, I haven't always been a parade spectator. I have also been in a lot of them, riding or walking for one cause or organization or another. Sometimes it was just for fun, starting way back when I was growing up and decorated my bike with crepe paper streamers. It took most of the day before the parade to get the bike perfectly appointed, and then I'd ride the parade route with a friend or two. One year I helped decorate a tandem bike that I got to ride in the parade. It's funny how wide the streets in a little town can seem when you're sitting on a bike in the middle of it.

About that same time, I also got to ride in several parades on the front fender of my grandpa's big black Ford Galaxie. On the roof of the big car with a very large, wooden slice of watermelon that was used to promote the celebration.

One big change I see in parades today is that there just aren't many floats any more. There are parade entries all right, but most of them are some kind of motorized vehicle-ranging from a pickup to a three-wheeler-with a sign on the side advertising the business that's sponsoring it. Generally, people ride inside and throw candy.

It used to be that for the week of Watermelon Day there wasn't a respectable hay rack available to beg, borrow, or steal anywhere around Stanhope because they were all needed for parade floats. Decorating took several days and evenings, with the hay racks hidden in corn crib alleys, machine sheds, and farm shops. When finished, the floats were quite elaborate, some even constructed with the time-honored technique of chicken wire stuffed with colored napkins. The floats were fun to see and fun to ride on.

Now, in all areas of our lives, we have simplified. No one feels like they have the time to stuff napkins into chicken wire for a float that will be used for a couple of hours at most. Thankfully, such a creation isn't required to have a parade in 2010. Nothing stays the same, but the best part is that the traditions continue.