The coronavirus has become all we’re talking about, and understandably so. It’s on every channel, every station, and part of every conversation. If we’re not suffering from the virus itself, we are mentally marinating in it based on our consumption of 24-hour news and information.
Our always-on heightened level of concern is mentally exhausting and emotionally draining. Many of us just need a mental time-out. The First Responders of the North Jackson Fire Department and the Jackson Co. Sheriff’s Office knew it as well. And true to their form, they acted.
A couple of weeks ago, Vettes of Atlanta Magazine and Corvette Cruisers of Atlanta was honored to be invited to participate in the four neighborhood parade. A chance to let people in the community know they are not alone. It was a break from self-isolation, to come outside, be a part of something, and reconnect from a safe social distance.
The event was a huge success in so many ways. You can read about the fun here: Easing Coronavirus Blues In North Jackson.
After the event, word quickly spread throughout the sub-developments. It seems even more people in the area needed this kind of break.
Neighborhood Parade Hits The Road Again
From the beginning, this next parade was going to be more ambitious. Jennifer Scott deserves a lot of the organizational credit here. Pulling this together was no small feat, not by a country mile.
This time around the parade route would go through seven neighborhoods and would involve several more agencies. In addition to the North Jackson Fire dept and the Jackson County Sheriff’s office, they added Braselton Police dept, Jackson County EMS, Jackson Trail/Fire Rescue, and West Jackson Fire dept.
You can’t imagine the sheer number of First Responders’ vehicles in this parade. Looking back through the line, it seemed to have no end. Also, what had no end was the genuineness and dedication of the men and women driving these vehicles.
You could hear it in their voice when you spoke to them and see it in their smiles as they waved to the crowd. Professional, dedicated, and eager to help others. Residents in these neighborhoods are very fortunate to have the exceptional caliber of people like these responding in moments of need.
Corvette Cruisers Of Atlanta Ride Again
Vettes of Atlanta Magazine and Corvette Cruisers of Atlanta (CCA) jumped at the invitation to come back for more fun. Supporting the local community is second nature to CCA.
Some of the charities they support include The Shadow Warrior Foundation, Parkwood Farms Therapy Center, and Shirley’s Soul Food restaurant in Toccoa.
Even the two granddaughters of Bill, a CCA club member, got involved in showing their support with handmade signs.
Among the club’s Corvettes in attendance was this stunning Elkhart Lake Blue Grand Sport owned by Doug and Linda. Of course, Linda has her flag ready to wave support!
There were several beautiful cars lined up for the parade. We would be remiss, though, if we didn’t share the rare photos of Renee’s stunning 1957 Chevy.
It is a show, stopper! Special thanks to Renee for getting us an invite to participate in the parades. Thanks also to Greg from CCA, who kept us up to speed with start times, dates, and location.
Time To Start The Parade
One thing we’ve learned about First Responders during both parades is they are punctual in their time management. If they say they are going to start at noon, then the trucks are rolling at precisely noon and not a moment later.
The other point of note is they knew in advance how they were going to get all of those enormous fire trucks through the cul-de-sacs of the neighborhoods. As we mentioned earlier, this was a long parade of rescue, fire, and police.
Cars parked alongside the neighborhood streets, trash containers set out for pickup, lawn service trucks, and more were no problem for these pros.
Though I have to admit, sometimes we felt like we were playing “chicken” with the fire trucks as everyone wove around the obstacles in the road. A couple of times, I was wondering who would win this game of “chicken,” the 40 foot long, 65,000-pound steel ladder truck, or the 3,400-pound fiberglass Corvette.
Luckily for the Corvettes, the First Responders are as precise in their driving as they are in their time management.
An Outpouring Of Love
We honestly didn’t know what kind of turnout to expect. The parade visited: Fairview Station, Berry’s Landing, Berry Hill Estates, Stone Creek, Belmont Chase, Kendall Creek, and Blackberry Farms West.
Just like the parade two weeks earlier, the turnout was energetic and genuinely enthusiastic. Neighborhood after neighborhood, we were greeted by people who were eager to show their support for their First Responders.
Plenty Of Flags, Signs, And Big Smiles
Many of the people who lined the streets were waving Old Glory, or proudly showing us their signs. We wish we had space to show you all of the posters, but take our word for it, there were dozens and dozens.
I can’t begin to tell you how many times we heard people shouting words of encouragement to the First Responders.
The Break We All Needed
Social distancing helps to ensure physical health and to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The tedious part is the mental, and emotional toll distancing takes on your overall wellbeing.
These neighborhood parades gave everyone’s well-being a much-needed boost.
As we said at the end of the last neighborhood parade, we’re not sure who got more out of it. The First Responders, the people in the neighborhoods, or those of us in Corvettes.
In many ways, we all came out better for the experience.
These brave men and women who serve our community are the same ones we bump into at the grocery store and wave to as they mow their lawns. I, for one, am going to wave a lot more to them after this parade. We owe them that and more, for their service and this break from the virus we all needed.
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