The Whole Town Knows I’m 40 Now…

Sure, turning 40 is kind of a big deal. And I even thought we might have a party to celebrate my 40th birthday. But I didn’t know it would involve a surprise ride on a parade float - where I was prominently featured as “The Birthday Boy.”

My 40th birthday was last Sunday, July 5. Thea and I had discussed some general plans for the day - I was going to go fishing in the morning, then we’d have a few people over for a BBQ that afternoon. Plain, simple, mellow. No biggie.

But Thea’s a FANTASTIC liar. I credit her thespian tendencies for her amazing ability to look me in the eye and shovel blatant fiction. While discussing my plans for Sunday, she simply nodded her head and later told me she’d talked to so-and-so, and they would be able to make it.

I should also mention that the Independence Day weekend coincides with the annual Cherry Days celebration here in Paonia. The cherry crop is in high season in the first week of July, thus “Cherry Days.” We have a parade full of floats and cars and clowns and people on bicycles, horses, tractors… you name it. It’s a sweet little event that gets a lot of people to line the streets of downtown Paonia for several blocks.

For weeks Thea had told me she’d been working on a float for her running group. I know how much fun Thea’s had with PEARL - Paonia’s Elegantly Attired Running Ladies - so I didn’t think much of it. (The group gets their name from their tendency to run around town on Friday afternoons in cocktail dresses, feather boas and fancy hats. They naturally end their early evening run at the local brewery, where the members of MEARL - Men Enjoying Admiring Running Ladies - have been waiting for them.) Thea would come home covered in paint, and I naturally chalked it up to the PEARL float.

So, to reiterate, we’d made simple plans for my birthday on Sunday, and I fully believed Thea had spent a lot of time lately working on a float for her running group.

This is why I was caught so completely of guard when Thea sprung her surprise on the morning of July 4th.

We decided to walk downtown since it’s so close, but we were running a bit behind. This is not unusual for us, but that morning Thea seemed to have a bit more anxiety about being late. She’d once again told me she needed to be there to help initiate a “wave” cheer among the parade onlookers as the PEARL float went by. I rolled my eyes and wondered how many people would actually join us in this cheer. But I just hurried along so Thea wouldn’t be too late to help her friends.

So we arrive at the parade, which had not quite begun yet. I had wanted to try viewing the parade from a different part of the parade route, but Thea told me we needed to go to the first block like we always do. She told me she planned to start the wave cheer there, then follow the PEARL float down the route and help keep the “wave” going. “Ugh,” I thought thinking I would not be enjoying this parade nearly as much as I’d thought.

Because we were late, there were not a lot of curb-side spots left to sit and watch the parade. Thea rather strongly suggested we take a spot near some kids we didn’t know. For some reason she chose a spot that we could barely see from. We would have an especially hard time seeing what was coming down the road. At this point I frowned, sat down and tried to enjoy the first few floats. And I did.

Thea kept peering over the shoulder of the woman sitting to her left so she could see what was coming next. Ostensibly, she was preparing for the PEARL float to arrive. I just smiled and watched kids chase after candy.

But then, all of a sudden, there was a float in front of me with people singing. It was strange - the float looked like a giant laptop computer, complete with keyboard and monitor. The computer mouse was on top of the cab of the truck that pulled the float. The monitor section was occupied by many of my local friends, and they were singing “Happy Birthday.” And then so was Thea.

Then I started to grasp the situation - it was a surprise birthday party.

I, of course, stood up smiling and looked to see who all was in on it. There was Ryan and Hilary and Gus and Michelle. But there were also people that didn’t quite belong to my Paonia life:

• My sister, Kara, her husband and baby from Denver
• My old friend JT and his family from Niwot (near Boulder)
• Our good friends David and Laura and their kids from Ft. Collins
• Andrew and Marilyn, who used to live in Paonia but now live in southern California

Just as I began to realize that the scope of this surprise was larger than I expected, Ryan jumped down from the back of the truck (which was pulling the float), grabbed me and hauled me back into the truck. I was quickly and unceremoniously bestowed with a shiny cape, a giant Uncle Sam hat, a pinwheel to hold and wave, and a sign hanging from my neck with the words “Birthday Boy.”

As Thea grabbed our chairs and other belongings from the sidewalk, my friends sat me down on a stool facing backward toward the float. It occurred to me that the last time I’d seen the stool was the day before, sitting in my basement. Then I looked up and all my friends were pointing cameras at me, singing and laughing hysterically. I had a few tears running down my cheeks and was trying to catch up with what was happening. The PEARL float was fiction. All these people were here just for my birthday. It was a surprise party in front of the WHOLE TOWN.

As the truck started moving again I looked around at the people on the sidewalks. They were as surprised as I was, some of them wondering who the hell these people were, others clapping or singing along to the repeated “Happy Birthday” song. I found it equally gratifying to see people join in on the singing, or to sit there with a confused look on their face. Both amused me greatly.

After a few minutes I noticed that my friends and family were passing out white water bottles with orange tops. I think I asked Ryan or Marilyn what that was and I was told that Thea had some promotional water bottles made up with the logo of my computer repair business on them. Later on I would learn that the float had a big sign on the back, advertising my business. So, not only did Thea pull of a huge birthday surprise, she also managed to incorporate a PR campaign for me.

So there I sat on the barstool from my basement, with a funny hat and a pinwheel scepter and great friends and family singing Happy  Birthday to me every 3 or 4 minutes. Eventually it occurred to me that someone must be driving the truck I was riding in. I couldn’t see from where I was sitting, so I asked. It was our good friend, Allison!

At one point a woman watching us go by yelled, “I want that for MY birthday! You are LOVED, dude!”

We eventually made it to the town park, where the parade route terminates. We all jumped out and got out of the way. I was still in shock as I greeted all of the people from out of town for the first time.

As it turns out, Thea had a LOT of help from some of our local friends. The list is too long to add here, but it was quite a production. It involved people going WAY out of their way to help Thea with the float, make arrangements, make signs and otherwise organize this feat. I’ve already said thanks, but I am more grateful than I can express.

While Gus, Ryan, Kara, Nathan and the baby kept me company in the park, Thea, Hilary and Michelle went back to our place to decorate. Thea had arranged for pizza from Louie’s and beer from the local brewery, Revolution Brewing. Even this required people to go out of their way.

Many thanks to all for being there and/or helping with the arrangements!