Monkeys On Parade.....???

If the exhibitionist in you wants to exhibit your monkey....but you want to do it in a monkey-safe way, your local Chamber of Commerce can give you a list of all the yearly parades that will gladly accept your participation. Parades celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, the Fourth of July, Mother Goose, Easter, Thanksgiving, New Years and any other holiday you can think of are sure to be found around larger counties.

Here are some tips from a veteran parade marcher:

Make sure and sign up ahead of time. By registering for the parade instead of just crashing it, the announcers will give you a little blurb about you or your business as you pass by with your monkey.

Do not march on foot in a parade with a monkey! A car with a closed top and power windows is the only way to pass safely through a crowd of enthusiastic parade watchers. Monkey lovers will leave the sidelines and try to approach your car. Be ready by having your monkey’s leash firmly in one hand and your other hand on the power window button.

Monkeys who are used to going out are usually natural show-offs. If your monkey is not used to the car, make some slow-driving trial runs before the day of the parade. Make sure to praise and reward your monkey with favorite snacks in the car. To minimize the mess, make sure the snacks are dry snacks like dry monkey chow, mini-shredded wheat biscuits or peanuts.

One monkey is so much easier to control and protect in a parade situation. Resist the temptation to take two, even if both are "good" monkeys. If you do take two, leave only one window down at a time for viewing and be ready to pull both monkeys back and roll the window up if you are approached by a monkey fan from the sidelines.

Two things are bound to happen as you ride down the center of the boulevard: Regardless of sex, color or size, your monkey will be hailed as "Marcel" (the name used for the white-faced capuchin monkey on the sit com "Friends"), and regardless of size, species and appearance a good number of parade watchers will be certain that you have a spider monkey (apparently the most commonly known type of monkey).

The bottom line is, parades can be lengthy so have fun but.....make sure YOU are in a position to keep your monkey safe and comfortable (cool drinks, healthful monkey snacks and air conditioning on a hot day, etc.) throughout the duration of the parade!.....q