I must have missed the memo telling anyone who wished to attend our Canada Day parade to come really early and set up your camp chairs in a huge, unending line (with plenty of space in between for your late-arriving friends, obviously), then vacate the area, only to return after 10 a.m. to claim your “reserved” space.
When did this become a thing at our parade? It reminded me of deck-chair hogs at cheap resorts, running out at 6 a.m. and selfishly “claiming” their chair, only to saunter in at noon. I have always found this unbearably selfish and inconsiderate.
We arrived at the parade at 9:20 a.m. with my 87-year-old grandmother in tow, coming early to ensure she wouldn’t have far to walk. We were met with at least 150 meters full of continuous, unoccupied chairs. Then maybe a couple of actual people, then huge rows of more unoccupied chairs.
After walking a fair way, we found a spate of empty chairs spaced out amply enough to allow us to squeeze our chair in for Grams. We settled in, and just after 10 a.m. the large crew of space-hogs arrived to take their places.
They stood in front of us, loudly (but passive-aggressively) complaining that “someone” must have moved their chairs. I asked them if they would prefer us to take Grams and walk another few hundred meters down the road — perhaps that would be more convenient for them? They declined but continued grumbling a fair bit.
Seriously, people. This is a small town with a lot of elderly people. We didn’t see anyone “reserving” spaces who was elderly. Every one of them was able-bodied. How about arriving at a reasonable time beforehand and finding a space, then actually sitting in it, first-come, first-served, like everybody else? It’s a far more civilized and considerate thing to do at such a great community event.
Sharon ToddParksville
