Over the years, we have enjoyed participating in the Mechanicsville Christmas Parade. It is always very Confederate friendly, and we receive a warm welcome and support from organizers and spectators. We had to wonder, with the PC anti-Confederate backlash set in motion since Governor Haley stripped the Confederate Flag from the Confederate Monument in Columbia almost 5 months ago, if things might be different this year. Turns out it was VERY different, but not in the way we might have guessed.
From the moment we stepped off and offered the first child a stick flag, we were literally swarmed with kids (and adults!) wanting flags. Before we had gotten halfway through the parade route we had given out over 1,000 flags, and exhausted our supply.
General Jackson was a huge hit with the kids!
Over 50 strong, our group was the first in a series of Confederate units that were grouped together in the parade. The Edmund Ruffin Fire-Eaters Color Guard led our unit, and almost as soon as the flags came into sight, we could hear the crowd start to roar!
The scene was repeated over and over again as we were met with rousing cheers and enthusiastic support throughout the entire parade, much more so than in previous years.
We were greeted with shouts of "God bless y'all" "Keep it flying" and many, many expressions of thanks.
For our Flaggers, it was a welcome and much needed break from dealing with the hate, bigotry, and abuse they often face on the front lines. The overwhelmingly positive response and show of love and support was a great boost and almost every participant commented on the incredible experience.
We were absolutely stunned...and thrilled...at the outpouring of support and encouragement.
Pay no attention to the haters, folks...Dixie is alive and well...and rising... and we saw the evidence on full display on a beautiful afternoon in Mechanicsville, Virginia yesterday!
Many thanks to the Edmund Ruffin Fire-Eaters, SCV, CAPTAIN Sally Tompkins OCR, Capt. William Latane Camp, SCV, and the Army of Northern Virginia Mechanized Cavalry for joining us to ring in CHRISTmas in Dixie, Va Flagger style!
Virginia Flaggers
P.O. Box 547
Sandston VA 23150
info@vaflaggers.com
2 comments:
We had a blast, Ms. Susan, and hope to be invited back again next year!! It was an awesome experience!
Wish we could have been there.
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