Why we celebrate this thing called Nevada Day

While political campaigning has been banned from the parade itself, there is plenty of it going on along the sidelines. One group supporting the Kerry/Edwards ticket handed out condoms. Written on the package was: "Do it in the voting booth," sponsored by Planned Parenthood. Hopefully, they were referring to voting, or we're in for one heck of an Election Day.

And a group across from the Legislative Building holding a sign "Resign, Kathy!" must have been disappointed when embattled state Controller Kathy Augustine did not appear with other top state brass, including Gov. Kenny Guinn, Treasurer Brian Krolicki, Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt and Secretary of State Dean Heller.

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Also in attendance at Saturday's parade was the C Hill Flag Foundation. Members sold T-shirts to raise money to put the flag back up on C Hill. The white T-shirts show a picture of the hill. In bold letters: "C Hill Flag United We Stand." To buy your own C Hill shirt, call foundation member Gil Ayarbe at 882-1681. The foundation is also accepting donations for the cause.

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The beautiful Capitol building was open to the unwashed public and so were its restrooms. Try strolling into any other state Capitol to use the john, and you'll see yet another reason why we celebrate this thing called Nevada Day.

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Then there was the Transierra Roisterous Alliance of Senior Humbugs of the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus float. Sometimes, just when you think you have life figured out, all it takes is a dozen men yelling at you from the back of a truck during a parade to put you right back in the middle of nature's great riddle.

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While wandering around Telegraph Street, an intriguing conversation was heard. A man and a woman were arguing over who was going to drive, as they were both quite drunk. Sloshed, in fact. A glance at the watch revealed it was no later than 9:50 a.m. (yet another reason why we celebrate this thing called Nevada Day.) Neither one of them ended up driving.

They forgot all about where they were going when they heard that Pat Morita was coming down the street on a float. They went stumbling off to look for the "Karate Kid float." Pat Morita strikes again!

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Virginia City old-timers and Indian Sikhs have little in common it would seem, except for beards. Watching them intermingle, two cultures as foreign to each other as any two things on Earth, they treated each other like brothers, hugging and shaking hands.

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It must be in the genes. Parade Grand Marshall Frank Sinatra Jr. definitely has his dad's ability to control a room, if not a parade. Looking him straight in the eyes and getting a return glare is a powerful thing. Enough to make a person take two steps back.