| by Kathy Wierenga Everyone is talking about the upcoming Independence Day Parade in Odyssey. Beginning at the fire station, the route will go around downtown Odyssey, wind through McAllister Park and end at Whit’s End. Organizers expect the largest turnout ever. The float competition provides one of the highlights of this year’s parade. Top contenders include Eugene Meltsner, Bart Rathbone and Edwin Blackgaard. Eugene’s float consists of three recent inventions. The first throws candy bars to the crowd, the second is an extended arm with a trash bin for the candy wrappers to be disposed in, and the third is an automatic recycling system that turns empty wrappers into chemistry textbooks. “I’m hoping no gum is accidentally disposed of in the recycling bin, as that would result in chemistry books with affixed pages,” Eugene says. Bart Rathbone’s entry uses a variety of electrical equipment to re-enact a battle at sea, including an amazing fireworks display. Bart wanted to remind everyone: “As a special deal, anyone who happens to get burned by the sparks will receive a 5 percent discount at the Electric Palace. Sale items excluded, of course.” Edwin Blackgaard will be performing William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” on his float. Making this especially unique, the supporting characters will be played by local chickens. When asked what prompted the interesting casting decision, Edwin commented, “There is a severe lack of local talent.” |
