Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: floats

A photo of parades and/or flags for the Vintage Photos Theme Park. The dealer's notation on the back of this real photo postcard says, "Welcome Home Day, Sunbury, Pa., 1919." The city of Sunbury , Pennsylvania, held a Welcome Home Day for returning World War I soldiers in 1919. This was one of the floats in the parade that was part of the celebration. Take a look at a cropped version of the photo for a better view of Lady Liberty and the other riders on the float.

Lady Liberty stands in the middle of a parade float in Sunbury, Pa., in 1919. A sailor and a soldier are in front of her, and a nurse and another woman are at the back of the float. For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard.

Stamped on the back of the photo: "Fairhill Studios, 2918 N. Sixth St., Philadelphia, Radcliff 2317." There are three or more raccoons making their home in the wire mesh enclosure behind the "Home of the American Raccoon" sign. The fellow on top is wearing some sort of ribbon or badge, and another ribbon is dangling among the branches below him. This may be a parade float, though It's hard to tell for sure. In any case, I wonder why these two guys are touting the "Home of the American Raccoon."

"King of Rex, receiving the key of the city at City Hall." Postcards showing floats with Rex , the "King of Carnival," and a dragon (see above and below) during Mardi Gras parades held on Shrove Tuesday in New Orleans.

"Rex Parade, Mardi Gras, New Orleans, La." A postcard showing floats from the Rex parade , which is held each year as part of the Mardi Gras celebration on Shrove Tuesday in New Orleans. That's Rex, the King of Carnival, along with the Queen of Carnival, on the first float.

"A dragon float, Mardi Gras Parade, New Orleans, La." A dragon-themed float from one of the Mardi Gras parades held each year on Shrove Tuesday in New Orleans.

A giant Underwood typewriter on a horse-drawn parade float, date and location unknown. Mouse over the image above to see a close-up view of the typewriter . . Could this be the same giant Underwood typewriter that was displayed at the Panama-Pacific Exposition, which was held in San Francisco, California, in 1915 (see postcard below)?

For more information, see the full version of this real photo postcard:

Perry County Sesquicentennial Parade, photo taken at the intersection of West Main and Apple Streets, New Bloomfield, Pa., 1970. Sign hanging below the canopy on the steam engine: "Bolze's Steam Engine Club, Landisburg." According to Michael R. Zeigler's article, "The Bolze Family Steam Engine History," which was originally published in Farm Collector , March-April 1999, "This steam engine is an Emerson-Brantingham Peerless TT model, serial #17544, 50 HP, the 200th built in 1916. It was bought in 1918 by the Bolze Brothers for their threshing and sawmill operation setup at R.D. Landisburg, Perry County, Pennsylvania . . . . During the Perry County Sesquicentennial Celebration in 1970, [Frank Bolze, son and nephew of the original three Bolze brothers] formed the Bolze Steam Engine Club and toured the county with it and an old threshing machine. This was quite a sight at all the parades." For a more recent color photo of this steam engine, see 1937 D-35 I/H & EB 17544 @ Shermans Valley Heritage Days 2003 on SmokStak.com. For other photos from this parade, see:

Perry County Sesquicentennial Parade, photo taken at the intersection of West Main and Apple Streets, New Bloomfield, Pa., 1970. For other photos from this parade, see:

Signs on float: "Brothers of the Brush, Elliottsburg Jail." "Comb Nation Jail." Perry County Sesquicentennial Parade, photo taken at the intersection of West Main and Apple Streets, New Bloomfield, Pa., 1970. For other photos from this parade, see:

Sign on float: "New Bloomfield Post Office. Perry Co. Sesquicentennial 1970, The County Seat, New Bloomfield, Pa. 17068." The United States Postal Service's "Mr. ZIP" character--the cutout of a wide-eyed, smiling postman that's standing in the middle of the float next to two mailbags and a mailbox--promoted the use of ZIP codes , which were first used in 1963. Perry County Sesquicentennial Parade, photo taken at the intersection of West Main and Apple Streets, New Bloomfield, Pa., 1970. For other photos from this parade, see:

"The Lititz Express." Printed on the back of this postcard: "Souvenir, July 4, 1907. Power demonstration on Express Printing Company's float." Evidently, the Lititz Express , a newspaper published until the 1930s in Lititz, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, printed this punning illustration with a press on board its Fourth of July parade float in 1907. I've heard of souvenir printings "on the ice" for frost fairs when the River Thames in London froze over in past centuries, and I have some menus and other items that were printed aboard ships during cruises, but I can't recall seeing anything else printed during a parade. Has anyone else encountered any other examples of printing on ice, parade float, ship, train, plane, automobile, or in any other unique circumstances?

Sign on car: "Perry Co. Freckle King, Pigtail Queen." Perry County Sesquicentennial Parade, photo taken at the intersection of West Main and Apple Streets, New Bloomfield, Pa., 1970. For other photos from this parade, see: