therapy goat | Aya Walksfar, Author

Darrington sprawled beneath a partly cloudy sky this July 4th as parade participants gathered in the Community Center’s parking lot. The Timberbowl Rodeo Queen, Lindsey, chatted with a woman before the parade got started.

Our “fire chief” was on hand to oversee the arrangements of fire trucks and floats.

Aya and her wife, Deva, were honored to be on the Grand Marshall float. Rows of chairs waited to be filled by a few of those who had volunteered during the Highway 530 Disaster. (The whole town couldn’t fit on the float)

Darrington, the therapy goat, was on hand. He gave Aya a kiss

and then told her a secret. Aya wouldn’t divulge what Darrington told her. After that, Darrington got busy and inspected the candy to be tossed to the kids along the way.

Will Foster, one of the high school students who volunteered during the disaster as well as an up-and-coming writer and artist, smiled as we got ready to start on the parade route.

Smoky the Bear joined the parade train.

We idled through town, throwing candy at the kids. The water gun folks hit their targets most often

but the kids ate our “ammunition”.

The Pack Station’s Mule Train wandered through town, but I think they may have gotten into the mash. They kept going in circles and weaving up the street.