Steven Helmer Publications

I was planning on just watching the local holiday parade and getting photos. However, I received an e-mail invite to ride with the mayor (because of my win in the "I Love Beaver Dam" photo contest) and decided to do it. It was definitely a different experience, especially since we were essentially leading the parade. But, overall, I think I enjoy watching them more than being in them. On another note, the float my youngest daughter was on, for her dance team, ended up taking second place. I'm not sure which one won.

We made it downtown in time to watch this parade today. For those of you not familiar with the Nation of Patriots, they are an all-volunteer group that crosses all 48 states every year raising money to help veterans and their families. It's a great cause and it's always fun to watch the dozens of motorcycles ending the tour where it started. Here are some of the photos from the parade: