The Sudbury 4th of July Parade is tomorrow, Saturday July 4th. Please read the below section carefully.
I’ve had several people reach out concerned about the heat. The safety and health of our students are, as always, the number one priority. We have been training for this event for about two months and the majority of the training has been devoted to a system of rotation for staying cool and hydrated. I’ll explain this more below, as a reminder for the lion dancing team as well as any volunteers who want to walk in the parade.
STAYING COOL & HYDRATED
First, if you or your child are worried that the heat and humidity will be too intense for you to walk 2.5 miles, please do not participate. I am counting on all students (including lion dancers) to advocate for yourselves.
We will have water, but please bring your own.
Please wear sunscreen.
Sunglasses/hats are encouraged.
For Lion Dancers:
No one will stay in the lions for more than 10 minutes. When I play the drumbeat we have practiced, that will be the cue for the current lions to take a break. I don’t want lion dancers to rotate through the line; I want the lion dancers to take a break for a minimum of ten minutes. When you hear the drumbeat, just step out of the costume and hand it off to the second team. We only have a team of 7; therefore, one team member will need to do two rotations. This person should switch from head to tail (or vice versa) when the drumbeat hits. Please communicate with your teammates if you are willing to do two rotations in a row, and don’t forget to step out of the lion (after communicating to your tail or head) if you need a break. Heads, remember to keep the lion heads UP for as much time as possible. We focusing just on walking, not tricks or even audience interaction. The only tricks we’ll be doing are the poses with the dragon dance team. As soon as you step out of the lion, immediately get water, spray yourself with water (bottles will be available), and simply walk in the parade as you drink. Our “water benders” will be available to help you with this.
For Water Benders:
These are our parade participants who are NOT in the lions.
All participants should keep an eye on the lions and the standard bearers to make sure they are holding up in the heat and give them a chance to rotate out if necessary. If the lions need a break, the dancers will take the costumes off to signify that they’re tapping out.
FOUR people will be carrying our two banners. (One of the school, one for the national lion dance event we are part of.) Standard bearers may also switch out as needed; just communicate with each other.
Everyone else should be doing 1 of 3 things:
Guiding the lions to make sure that they don’t get ahead of the truck, fall too far behind, or drift too far from the parade path.
Using the provided spray bottles to spray lion dancers.
Giving the provided cold washcloths to lion dancers to keep them cool.
Watching the lion dancers and standard bearers to make sure they are not showing signs of exhaustion or heat stroke; including (but not limited to) nausea, flushed skin, either dry skin or excessive sweating, rapid breathing, headache, or altered behavior such as slurred speech or stumbling.
Water bottles, spray bottles, and cold washcloths will be in coolers in the bed of Brian’s pickup, where I will be drumming. The truck will drive in front of our portion of the parade. The standard bearers will walk in front of the the truck. The CAAS truck will bring up the rear. (Metrowest Kung Fu & CAAS are operating as one unified “team” for the parade.)
PARADE LOGISTICS
The parade starts at:
Chiswick Park
490 Boston Post Road
Sudbury, MA 01776
The parade ends at:
The Noyes School
280 Old Sudbury Road (behind Town Hall)
Sudbury, MA 01776
There will be shuttles running between Town Hall and Chiswick Park from 11am-3pm. My suggestion is that participants park at Sudbury Town Hall, and then take the shuttle over to Chiswick Park.
WE ARE IN DIVISION 2. This means we will be lining up by the corner of the Gridwealth and Field House buildings. I’ve attached a map below. EVERYONE SHOULD USE THE BATHROOM BEFORE THE PARADE STARTS. There will be water stations, but only at the beginning and end of the parade.
Lion Dance Team should arrive at Chiswick Park at 11am to practice with the Dragon Dance team.
All other participants should arrive at Chiswick Park at 12pm. The parade starts at 1pm.
Lion Dancers should wear their lion dance uniforms. (These are cooler than our regular uniforms, both temperature-wise and also stylistically!) All other participants should wear school uniforms; pants, sashes, black or gold school t-shirt. Training shoes aren’t necessary.
I think that covers everything. I know it’s a lot of information and the heat is worrisome to folks, but also, we did the Maynard Sesquicentennial Parade a few years ago; the weather was absolutely oppressive, and we put in ZERO preparation in terms of hydration, and everyone did fine, so I think we will be okay. Just like sparring though, keep the lines of communication open.
If anyone else would like to volunteer to help keep our lion dancers hydrated, hold signs, or just walk in the parade, email me at sihing.eliot@metrowestkungfu.com. See you there! (Parade map below).
~ Shifu
