This past weekend, my dad and I participated in La Vista, Nebraska’s Salute to Summer Festival. Our family business is located in the small city that borders Omaha on its southwest side and we were asked to drive one of our large delivery trucks in the Salute to Summer parade that Saturday. My wife, Jennifer, and children, Sofia and Rocco accompanied us.
What better way to participate in a parade than riding in two of Pontiac’s best looking convertibles? This ’70 GTO in Palisade Green and ’64 Bonneville in Yorktown Blue are certainly indicative of the performance division’s greatest era!
Typical of most parades, a number of entries included modern performance vehicles as well as several classics—mostly convertibles. I didn’t see any Pontiacs, but our position in the parade limited my vantage point, so there certainly could have been one or several that I simply didn’t know about. As I saw some of the vehicles decorated for the parade, it made me think about the vintage photos that I have in my collection depicting then-late-model Pontiacs used for parading. They provide us a glimpse of the bygone era we cherish when new Pontiacs were the cars to have.
This Cardinal Red ’72 Grand Prix SJ, complete with 14 x 7” Honeycomb wheels, represented the Sutherland Highlanders in a parade through downtown Denver, Colorado.
I also thought about the fun I had when our local Pontiac club participated in another parade several years ago. I drove my ’76 Trans Am in it and that was the first time I had ever done anything like it. I recalled how enjoyable it was waving at the spectators along the route and hearing their comments about all the Pontiacs that comprised our rolling display. (I also remember how cramped my calf muscle was from constantly working the clutch pedal! Fortunately, I was driving an automatic this time).
My children, Sofia and Rocco rode along with me in a parade and got a kick out of waving at all the spectators.
As La Vista’s Salute to Summer parade concluded and I saw how much fun my kids had with the attention, I was hit with the realization that parades may be a great way for me to keep them interested in the hobby while at a young age. Unlike displaying a vehicle at a car show, which oftentimes requires all day attendance, keeping them entertained the entire time is challenging, but a parade typically lasts little more than an hour and riding along waving keeps them engaged. It also exposes new generations of onlookers to the sights and sounds of the Pontiacs they might not otherwise know.
Parades are nothing new to most veteran hobbyists and I can understand and relate to why they have been so popular for so long! Now why did it take me 40 years to realize that?!
So tell me, have you ever driven your Pontiac in a parade? I’d love you to share your experience!