My favorite Upper Arlington tradition!

For some reason, the 4th of July is HUGE in our neighborhood. The festivities start about a week early, when people start lining their chairs up along the parade route. And anyone who knows Upper Arlington can vouch for me in that I am not making this up. It works like this:

Starting around a week before the parade, people pick their spots to watch the festivities. There is a main road the parade runs along, and you will see people pull their cars up along the road, put their hazard lights on and start unloading chairs. And it doesn't have to be in front of a house you own, any house along the parade route will do. If you are REALLY festive, you rope it off. Yellow caution tape will do, maybe even some red white and blue streamers. I'm not making this stuff up people. You will see plastic chairs, folding chairs, benches, roped off areas, you name it. And if you get there and the spot is "reserved" you don't mess with it. It's kind of an honor system deal. Don't have your chairs out by July 02nd? Good luck Chuck. Standing room only, two people deep at that point. And these people mean business. Someone beat you to the punch and put their chairs in front of your house? So sad, too bad. Keep walking my friend. It's an Upper Arlington tradition and not to be messed with. I was a little bummed, because we just got our chairs out tonight and I didn't get the spot I wanted. My fault for waiting until two days before parade time. I've said for years that someday I'm going to haul a sofa out there eventually. I'm just waiting until Caroline is old enough to help carry it...