4th of July video: Racine's Fourth Fest Parade 2009
(The video above was shot entirely on a Flip Ultra HD and edited with iMovie HD 6. I recommend using both the HD and full-screen buttons to watch it.)
There was something about this year’s Fourth Fest Parade that was absolutely transcendent. Seeing so many Racinians and our guests, from all walks of life, gathering together on our charming Main Street in the Midwest — to simultaneously perform and spectate, to see and be seen, to display and witness slices of each other’s humanity amidst the larger compass of America’s history and its founding cornerstones of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” — was just incredibly elevating.
Waking up, Amy and I weren’t sure we were going to attend, but we decided to go watch, and maybe shoot a few pictures or a little video. We grabbed some plastic baggies on the way out the door to protect the cameras in case it rained.
The weather cooperated very well. The morning was a little on the cool side for summer, overcast and threatening to rain at first, but it gradually warmed and brightened, with some sunshine enhancing the colors from time to time. Had there been more sun, the marchers surely would have been less comfortable.
I ended up with 83 video clips, totalling just over an hour, from the three-hour parade. Not every parade entry was captured, but the majority of them were. Looking at some of the clips upon returning home, I felt like I wanted to share them.
YouTube’s limit for a single video is 10 minutes / 2 gigabytes. Using iMovie, I imported my clips in chronological order, one by one, and trimmed each one down to a few essential seconds.
This took most of yesterday. I began at around 8 a.m., just as Roger Federer and Andy Roddick were facing off at Wimbledon.
I was finally adding the titles after 10:30 last night, while Chicago’s 190 North (segment inserted above) was featuring North Beach, the Racine Art Museum, the Racine Zoo, beer at Shillings Irish Pub, kringle at Larsen’s Danish Bakery, and Salute Italian Restaurant.A couple hours of my Sunday were also spent freeing up space on my hard drive. Editing HD video eats up disk space at an alarming rate.
Exporting my project back out into MP4 format took about another 90 minutes, and then YouTube informed me that the 700 megabytes would require about three and a half hours to upload. I let the machines handle that while I went to sleep.
This morning, it’s ready for you to view in glorious HD.
If you were in the parade but I missed you, I’m sorry. I missed Mayor Dickert, Miss Racine, and many other participants too, so you’re in important company. I am just trying to share as much of this outstanding event with the world as I can in 10 minutes.
I hope you enjoy it.
Lovely comments about the parade. It's so odd to see it from another location. Kathy's family has always watched it on 11th and Main (across from the GTC campus) for as long as I can remember. By the way, I mentioned a little moment in the parade in a blog entry called "A Lesson Learned again . . . and again." You might find it interesting. By the way, I used to go to both Racine and kenosha's parades and was always struck by how much tighter and better organized the Kenosha parade was. . . not nearly so many gaps and a little more care with who could be in it. (I don't know if it's still like that or not.) But your blog entry was a nice reminder that part of the charm of Racine's parade are its imperfections and its down to earth personality. Anyway, thanks as always for the food for thought. GB (I'm jealous that you know how to link people from your Facebook page to your blog. You are the technical wiz.0)
Greg, thanks very much for sharing your thoughts. If you want, I can show you how to feed your blog (http://bit.ly/gregberg) into Facebook. You're a fascinating and prodigious writer, and you deserve as wide an audience as possible
Man, making me sorry that I missed it this year. For the first time in many years we decided to skip it. Usually, we get up early and stake a good spot to park and sit and stay for the whole deal. This year we just didn't have the energy to fight the crowds, oh well I can watch your video!
How about a parade for Disco Demolition? (Like these cheddarheads would even get it! Guess I'm a cheesehead too but still.) Were you hanging with Steve Dahl back then or was that before your time? I remember you being on the show in the early 80's but I don't know if you around for that crazy night in 79. Just curious, I'm seeing a lot of buzz about Disco Demolition online (most of inaccurate), it's really hard to believe that it's been 30 years!
Have you seen this site? It has some interesting Steve Dahl stuff on it.
http://www.youtube.com/TheOriginalShockJock
Later, still love the site as a local Racine-ian, or Mount Pleasant-ian, something like that. Keep up the good work, JD
Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment, Joe.
Disco Demolition was the event that first brought Steve Dahl to my attention. I became a listener that next morning, then gradually a mysterious caller, and finally joined the show with my 'All My Children Update' in October '82.
I had not seen that channel before. Thanks for the link.
Why is it every year we get the same coverage NONE. We have been in the parade for many years. Every year is the same story.(We took different entries throughout the parade, I'm sorry we can't get all of them). The Old Timers Athletic Club is a long standing club supporting youth sports in Racine. We have given over $750,000 to area youth. All money raised by volunteers. Our 2 week softball tournament runs on July17, 18, 19 and July 24, 25, 26. It is our biggest fundraiser and this year the second weekend is the 50th anniversary of our tournament. I based our float on this event. All pictures and videos that I have seen didn't include us again. If it wasn't for the 100,000 people on the parade route I wouldn't waste my time getting in the parade. But because of all these people on the parade route that do acknowledge us thats why we get in. No thanks to the media coverage.
Again, my apologies.