Centennial Parade

[PUGalicious]

Well said.

[kmf563]

I guess I just expected more. I've been to several parades downtown and there wasn't anything more spectacular about this parade than the other ones we have down there. Not saying it was bad, guess I personally just wanted more. I love the turnout though and I love all the pics you guys took.

[jbrown84]

Well, that's two people that liked it... well worth the cost...

Travelok.com... centennial website... Oklahoma Today... wow! I don't know how anyone might have missed such wide publicity.

Well I really don't know what you expected... The parade had banner ads all over newsok and there was a special section in the paper on it with a huge ad. Perhaps you can enlighten us on how you would have done it so much better?

[oSutrooper]

Here are my pics that I took from the corner of Reno and Robinson

Thanks goes out to the OCPD officers that were working the corner here. There was a report of a man with a long gun walking in the crowd and when we passed behind us they took him down. Turns out the gun was a sword but still glad to see that they were on there toes

First up one of KFOR camera guys



Eddie Sutton


Langston Marching Band




Oklahoma Macots


OSU rodeo club


Cat in the Hat and Morton




Curious Geroge


KOCO tv crew



The pride of Oklahoma marching band


Dressed up Llamas with no where to go


Bryan White



Pooper scooper someone had to do it lol


OCPD Horses


Governor and First Lady Brad Henry and is highway patorlmen




Oklahoma County, Oklahoma City Police and Oklahoma Highway Patrol Bikes


Mic Cornett


Stealth Fighter



OCPD Finest



Express Clydesdale's




Oklahoma County Horses



Last my kid and her nephew enjoying the parade

[PUGalicious]

Well I really don't know what you expected... The parade had banner ads all over newsok and there was a special section in the paper on it with a huge ad. Perhaps you can enlighten us on how you would have done it so much better?

Pay me what Lee Allan Smith & Co. are getting paid and I'll be happy to put a plan together.

[soonerguru]

The parade was HOKEY! I really, really tried to enjoy it. The only good performances were the OU band playing Boomer Sooner and the Langston band with the booty-shakin'.

There were some decent floats, but it lacked pizazz. Imagine how good the Latin group could have been? And what was up with the Native American float? What was that, anyway?

All in all, the Centennial planners could have made this more star-studded and more memorable. Frankly, the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade is more interesting.

[soonerguru]

Misty,

Your commentary is dead on! We are not ignorant dirt farmers any more. We have traveled and lived elsewhere and we have higher standards. We know good food and we know good entertainment. You should never have to apologize for calling it like it is. It's either great or it isn't, and we shouldn't handicap our commentary because it involves Oklahoma.

It's either a great parade or it wasn't, and frankly, it wasn't anywhere near a great parade. I've seen more magic at a circus in a big tent in a small town than that parade.

I'm really glad Halliburton and other corporate sponsors got to put their names on unimaginative floats, but that doesn't make for a magical moment. There was scant little magic in that parade. It seemed like something put together by a corporate fundraiser.

If Oklahoma is to become a great state in its next 100 years, we should let 'er rip: criticize mediocrity in food, governance, architecture and performance. It's either great or it isn't. Oklahomans need to get with it because as a state we have enormous potential, but it's going to take a change in attitude to realize our goals.

And by the way, the most overstated myth is that Oklahomans are friendlier people than people elsewhere. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have no trouble mixing with crowds of any kind but there were so many rude, trashy people at the parade it diminished our experience measurably. People were so rude I thought my mother in law was going to demand we leave before it started.

Want to meet some friendly people? Go to the upper midwest -- or even California!

[mecarr]

The parade being so underwhelming sort of sums up this entire Centennial project. This

Ouch. Granted the parade was a bit cheesy, but still it was better than nothing. I do take issue with you saying that the "underwhelming" parade sumps up the entire Centennial project. The Centennial project has been great for Oklahoma City and I've enjoyed a great deal of the events they have put on.

[PUGalicious]

Ouch. Granted the parade was a bit cheesy, but still it was better than nothing. I do take issue with you saying that the "underwhelming" parade sumps up the entire Centennial project. The Centennial project has been great for Oklahoma City and I've enjoyed a great deal of the events they have put on.

Well, that makes three of you... you, jbrown and Doug.

karlanee was spot on with her assessment.

[Doug Loudenback]

Did you go, Pug? If so, and to give some semblance of balance, wasn't there anything that you liked about it?

As I said in an earlier post, I don't at all think that it was without problems. The long delays between stuff on the street (especially if you were well "down the line" as I was) weren't good at all and better planning might have helped with that. But, I don't know how that could have been solved where a group "stops" and performs for a time which results in a large gap.

It might also have been nice to have some sort of audio at various points so that the crowds could actually "hear" what was passing by.

That said, I really did enjoy it and if the pics I and others took don't show the reasons why, I don't guess that I can offer anything better.

[PUGalicious]

Doug, I did not go downtown to watch the parade because I expected it to be overhyped and underwhelming... and I didn't want to dedicate that much time, energy and effort negotiating traffic, parking and crowds to watch something that would most likely be disappointing to me and my family. I knew who was running the thing, so I had reasonable expectations of what it would turn out to be.

I did watch it broadcast live on TV. What I must say I did like about the parade was that OETA did a pretty good job in its television production of the parade. And the idea of doing a parade was a good idea. Its execution is what I found to be underwhelming and par for the course for this centennial "celebration."


P.S. I like your pictures, does that count?

[Doug Loudenback]

Pug, it sort of sounds like, if your mind was not already made up before the parade, you had a predisposition at the least. On the other hand, I'm probably not completely objective, either, since I wanted this parade to be a success before it happened and so I may tend to downplay the shortcomings.

But, if you like the pics, doesn't that mean that you like what they show? And, aside from the single pic below (which Doug Dawg just had to do ... by combining two real images into one), I didn't make any of them up!

Larger pic: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49...de_band05d.jpg



Like I said, I liked the Langston band!

[PUGalicious]

Pug, it sort of sounds like, if your mind was not already made up before the parade, you had a predisposition at the least.

Perhaps, but I still was hoping for the best and really wanted to be pleasantly surprised... I just wasn't.

But, if you like the pics, doesn't that mean that you like what they show?

Not necessarily, except for what that specific picture shows. Selective framing and editing can make anything look MUCH better than it actually was.

[metro]

I'm not sure about where everyone else was standing, but where I was (Sheridan and Robinson) what was with all the rude people crossing the street ignorantly during the middle of the parade in between floats and sometimes during.

[CCOKC]

I was standing on the east side of EK Gaylord (in fact if you look really really close you can kind of see me in some of Doug's shots) and two 70 year old ladies almost got into a fight over whether you can save a spot at a parade. Now, when I say fight I mean good old fashioned fistacuffs. Lady number one was standing behind me and waiting for her husband to bring the lawn chairs when lady number two came in with her family and got really close to lady number one. Lady number one politely says I'm saving this spot for my husband when lady number two says and I swear I'm not making this up "I was at my hairdressers yesterday and she told me there is no savings spots at a parade." Well case closed, if her hairdresser told her... apparently, that wasn't good enough for lady number 1. I really didn't want to get in the middle of it although I literally was in the middle of it, especially since I was saving two spots for myself.

[jbrown84]

I still have not heard any specifics as to why it was so awful.

I also didn't witness any rudeness or people trying to run across the road where I was (across from IAO). In fact, the lady next to me was quite friendly.

[PUGalicious]

Well, jbrown, that changes everything. Since you haven't heard any specifics as to why it was so awful, then by default it must have been the greatest thing ever. And since you didn't witness any rudeness, then the others must be making it up.

It's all settled now. The parade was a huge success. Everyone had a great time. Move along now, nothing to see here.

[Doug Loudenback]

I love the zeal of a convert! Welcome aboard, Pug!

[Karried]

Centennial parade set for rebroadcast on TV

A Century in the Making
See NewsOK's special Web site dedicated to Oklahoma's Centennial.



OETA has received many requests to rebroadcast Sunday's parade, and it will be televised on its statewide analog and digital cable channels.

"This parade was a fantastic success not just in attendance, but also viewership. Thanks to OETA's live broadcast, Oklahomans from all four corners of the state had front row seats to this magnificent parade,” said Blake Wade, Oklahoma Centennial Commission executive director.

An estimated 350,000 people watched the parade live when it was simulcast on OETA, KFOR-4, KTUL, NewsOK and OklaTravelNet.com, Wade said. About 200,000 lined downtown Oklahoma City streets to watch the parade, Oklahoma City police estimated.
The first broadcast will be at 7 p.m. Friday on OETA (Cox 16). Other broadcasts are:

OETA:
•9:30 p.m., Nov. 5.
•7 p.m., Dec. 12.
•5 p.m., Jan. 5.

OETA OKLA (Cox 112):
•6 p.m., Wednesday.
•7 p.m., Nov. 3.
•6 p.m., Nov. 30.

For more information
•About the broadcasts: Call OETA at (800) 879-6382 or go to www.oeta.onenet.net. The parade can also be viewed on OETA's Web site. •About buying a DVD of the parade broadcast: Call the centennial commission at 228-2015.

[PUGalicious]

Re-live the mediocrity... again... and again... and again...

[okclee]

I thought Pugs are generally happy, not always down on everything.

[CrimsonOberon]

I enjoyed it thoroughly. I liked the atmosphere, and as a native american, I enjoyed the fancy dancers and their performance.

What can I say, I liked it.

[PUGalicious]

I thought Pugs are generally happy, not always down on everything.

Depends on the pug and it depends on the circumstances. My pugs don't get excited about mediocre things.

[PUGalicious]

... like last Sunday... for the Centennial Parade...

[Doug Loudenback]

Pug, is it a characteristic of pug "dogs" to be intolerant of other peoples' opinions, or is that just personal to you???