It had been closed before the parade and now, the parade over, it was still blocked off between Aiken Avenue and Stanworth Drive. Not a car was in sight. But plenty of people, old and young, some in costume, roamed up and down and across the street in the warm sun. Quite a few dogs were out, too. Mae saw one at the end of a leash made of red, white, and blue beads. In front of the movie theatre, a man dressed in clothing from the 1890s was playing the piano, and a barbershop quartet was singing “In the Good Old Summertime.” Across the street, a vendor was selling peanuts and lemonade. “Is this a circus?” Mae asked, sniffing the air. She was walking hand in hand with her brother and sister, Mrs. Sherman just ahead, and she tilted her face up to Nikki. “It feels like a circus,” Nikki agreed. “But it’s really a birthday party for our town.” “I liked the parade,” said Mae. “Who was that on the last float?
