Well, the old song, Don’t Rain on my Parade, a Barbara Streisand/Fanny Brice classic, lived up to its billing, Saturday, May 9, 2015. Although the Ladue Dogwood Festival ended a washout, the City of Ladue executed its parade just in time.

Neighbors, friends, and local businesses lined Clayton Road to cheer the various participants, who included parade Grand Marshalls John and Julie Mozeliak, the mayor and councilmen, and neighborhoods along with churches, the Ladue Middle School band, and  Ladue commerce including Central Bank’s horse drawn carriage..The parade safely reached its end destination at Ladue Middle School shortly before the first raindrops kept “fallin on our heads”. All right, enough rain lyrics!

While the Mayor and festival organizers scrambled to adjust the timing of the event, the Three Pedros did everything they could to rally the remaining crowd. Ultimately, everyone felt too soaked to stay the course, and the festival concluded by 12:00 Noon.

As with any rainout, the vendors only sold part of their wares. While we did not take a full inventory of participating restaurants, the following offered some very tasty selections: Truffe’s, The Women’s Exchange, Sportsman’s Park, Schneithorst’s, and Schnuck’s. Some of the children’s games weathered the storm even after the band and the food and beverage tables closed.

The sponsors for the festival included Central Bank, Mosquito Squad of Greater St. Louis, Schnarr’s Hardware, Truffles Restaurant, Butchery, Aldine Travel, CK Power, The St. Louis Audi Dealers, and the elite sponsor, Janet McAfee Real Estate.

The Festival may have ended early, but the parade happened without a glitch. Don’t Rain on My Parade became the soundtrack of our minds.