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The first-ever
Watauga Democratic Kazoo Band, some two dozen “instrumentalists” riding the
local party’s float in the Boone July 4th parade, turned heads and
drew applause as band members vocalized on pieces of Americana like “O Suzannah,”
patriotic airs like “You’re a Grand Old Flag” and “When Johnny Comes Marching
Home,” and of course “Happy Days Are Here Again!”
“We wanted to add
an upbeat musical element to the annual parade,” said Marjory Holder, who first
promoted the idea of a Kazoo band and who served as the choir director on the
float. “And as a matter of fact, I believe we offered the only live music in
the entire parade. Now we have a new tradition which I think we can build on
positively.”
The cheering and
clapping of parade spectators suggested that the music was appreciated.
“I loved hearing ‘Happy
Days Are Here Again,’ ” said Emily Blount, a visitor in Boone who would not
give her age but said she was old enough to remember the song during the Great
Depression. “And where were the Republicans in the parade? I didn’t see them.”
The Watauga Republican Party did not have any official presence in the local
parade.
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