Bunker Hill Parade

The annual Bunker Hill Parade went past our flat this afternoon, so we took A out to enjoy the spectacle.



They were commemorating the 1775 Bunker Hill battle against the British.

The Patriot insurgents - many only armed with sticks, shovels or pitchkforks - inflicted sufficient losses on the British to trigger the start of independence - and the Parade celebrated this with period costume.



The march mainly consisted of military and police bands......















...... various youth and cadet bands.......








and 'community service organisations' including fire engines, the healthcare centre where S and A have all their medical appointments, and the dustbin men.

It was a nice example of the American attitude to community; it's hard to imagine a parade in Britain that would include dustbin men.














Somehow, some clowns and politicians also got involved....



























and a supremely irrelevant bunch of Star Wars fans, giving A her first (and presumably last) encounter with a Storm Trooper.