Click on a thumbnail sketch to see the full size picture.

The Corvallis Christmas parade is scheduled every year on the day after Thanksgiving. (Some have suggested its purpose is to start off the shopping season.) It is organized by the Lions Club. Its not very expensive to enter, costing only $10 for non-commercial entries. They are obviously not trying to make a profit. I see it as just another opportunity to parade Rex around. Life is fun when you don't take it seriously!

The parade went exceptionally well. The weather cleared up so that we had a very pleasant parade.

	Not only did we have Rex there, but Killer Tomato and Spartan Magic joined us. Rex is on the right side of the picture. Up on top of the luggage rack was a collection of wrapped gifts. We had installed lights and radios on Rex, and everything worked. The new casette player played traditional Christmas music. Rex even had lights in the spokes of its wheels. Tomato is in the middle of the picture. It was decorated as a Christmas Tree hanging, with a hook at the top. Spartan Magic is somewhat hidden behind Tomato. Spartan had no lights. But the Spartan students wore antlers.
	Rex is looking very festive. Up on top of the luggage rack was a collection of wrapped gifts. We had installed lights and radios on Rex, and everything worked. The new casette player played traditional Christmas music. Rex even had lights in the spokes of its wheels.
	Spartan had no lights. But the Spartan students wore antlers. Spartan also had some decorations to be a sled.
	You can see Laura Allen beaming here. I am hidden behind the horn. This year had very good turnout, both by participants and by spectators. I suspect it was record attendance for both.
	Tomato and Rex had the tightest turning radius, so we did donuts in the street whenever we got the chance. Sometimes Tomato and Rex did synchronized donuts about a single center. It was fantastic! And the audience was awed.

After the parade, when we drove it back to my house, I noticed the headlights were getting weak. By the time we got home the battery was pretty well dead. I guess we were drawing more power than I had guestimated. But fortunately it lasted thru the parade.

Tomato was driven alternately by Bob Durst or Sherry Clark. Bob is the owner/builder of Tomato. Sherry is his significant other. Rex was driven by Allen Brown and Laura Allen. I, Allen, am the owner/builder of Rex. I don't have the identities of the drivers of Spartan Magic other than that Elizabeth Allen, daughter of Laura, was in the group.

Some of these pictures were taken by Sherry Clark and some were taken by Allen Brown. You can usually pick out her pictures by looking for the better ones. The pictures I took were taken with available light using 1600 ASA film at 1/8 second and f1.4 using an ancient Pentax Spotamatic II.

Copyright (C) C Allen Brown 1998.