Animated adolescents, octogenarians and preschoolers  marched down Ninth Street following a brass band from New Orleans and the True/False Festival Q Queen, a young-at-heart woman decked out in a regal red cape.
At a stop in the procession, she swiveled her hips to the music, exclaiming to a student, “My 78-year-old body doesn’t move quite the way your one does!”
After a few stops, the herd of students merged with the already formed parade that consisted of Marching Mizzou and attendants of the festival. In the streets, hundreds of people, from small children flailing to the music, to seniors having as much fun as the kids watched the parade, beaming. Little ones and college students alike bounced up trying to pop the jumbo balloons blown by men standing on ladders with string bubble blowers.
Even after the parade concluded, the festivities continued. The band blared away on their trumpets, trombones and sousaphone, while the percussionists beat their drums with such vigor that the beat could be felt in one’s heart. They played on a street corner while onlookers continued to jive around them in a semi-circle. Others were making their way to viewing venues or else trying to locate food.
What made the event such a sight to behold were the costumes. They alerted onlookers to the fact that this was no ordinary parade. The so-called Q Queens were dressed to impress —or at least draw eyes— in get-ups varying from gold-sequined suits to rainbow wigs. Other participants wore disguises that varied extensively. Some highlights include a cowardly lion, a cloud and a fully grown man dressed as a carrot.
As it got darker, the crowd slowly dwindled. But inside the shops and theaters, it was clear that the city was only just beginning to come alive.
Did you catch the March March? What did you think?