A Grand Parade

Two weeks ago, my parents rode through my hometown in a red convertible, waving to throngs of parade spectators. As the grand marshals of the 34th Annual Vikingland Band Festival in Alexandria, Minn., they were honored for their decades of service to the community, as longtime public educators and supporters of the arts.

My parents met in Alexandria as new teachers; my dad, a St. Cloud native, arrived in town one year before my mom, who grew up in St. Paul. Neither planned to stay in Alexandria long. But they fell in love, raised my brother, Pete, and me, and have continue to thrive in a town where almost everyone seems to know them.

My mom, Anne, taught high school and junior high French for 25 years. When she's not swimming, running, or kayaking, she enjoys reading to elementary school students and visiting hospice patients. My dad, Bill, taught social studies, speech, and psychology at the high school for 35 years. His passion for playing the trumpet has continued in his retirement; you can often find him playing at places like La Ferme in downtown Alexandria, or at one of the local churches.

My dad, my mom, and my brother, Pete

I was elated when I learned that my parents had been named grand marshals. Unfortunately, the date of the event conflicted with plans my husband, Steve, and I had already made to be on vacation in Hawai'i. I was sorry to miss out on the parade fun, but I knew I didn't have to worry about my parents being lonely. They were supported by numerous friends and family members, including my brother and his four kids: Kayci, Sam, Lauren, and AJ; my dad's brother, Bob, and his wife, Debbi; my dad's sister, Dana, and her husband, Bill; and my cousin Kristina, her husband, Doug, and their daughters, Kali and Piper.

Mom and Dad with the extended Riggs clan

Which reminds me — all the photos in this blog post are from Kristina's phone. Thanks, Kristina!

The parade competition featured 19 top high school marching bands (nearly 1,800 performers) from Minnesota, and Henry Sibley High School came out on top. The band had previously won the grand champion title in 1986, the year I graduated from high school (for the record, we had an amazing band that year, too, but we didn't compete at the festival because we were the host band). For more details about the 2018 competition results, you can check out this website: http://www.marching.com/events/vbf/

I marched in the early years of the festival, and next year, for the 35th anniversary event, I plan to participate as a member of the Jefferson High School alumni band. Since I haven't played the French horn regularly since my sophomore year of college, I'd better get practicing. I have less than a year to get ready!