Letter: Add more bands, floats to parade

I could not agree more with the letter expressing frustration with the lack of marching bands in the St. Patrick's Day parade ('Parade should include high school bands,” March 31).

Attend a parade in any small Iowa town, such as Amana, and you will see one or more local school bands in the parade. We never having marching bands from our local schools in Cedar Rapids parades. With the large number of middle and high school bands in our metropolitan area, it does not seem unreasonable for them to perform on a rotating basis, which would mean only once every few years. What an excellent opportunity to allow the hundreds of small children lining the parade route to dream about someday being in the school band!

I also agree that the parade organizers should set some minimum requirements as to what constitutes a 'float.” I, too, am tired of seeing commercial vehicles in the parade with a balloon or two or a strip of crepe paper. It is an insult to those who have spent many hours and dollars to enter attractive floats.

Lowell A. Rutz

Cedar Rapids