NORTHAMPTON — Under the slogan “ridiculous fun for a really good cause,” a whimsical parade planned for the fall will raise money for the nonprofit Northampton Neighbors while showcasing the community’s silly side.
The DoozyDo Parade, scheduled to take place rain or shine, will step off at 11 a.m. Sept. 17 from the Northampton Center for the Arts, 33 Hawley St., and travel through downtown to Pulaski Park. Former longtime City Councilor Bill Dwight and actress/comedian Kelsey Flynn are set to serve as “Grand-ish Marshals” of the lighthearted event.
Organizers encourage participants to form teams with kid-friendly, apolitical concepts. Marchers are asked to make a minimum contribution of $10 each to Northampton Neighbors. Children 12 and under can march for free, as can teams from nonprofit organizations.
Mark Karpel, a member of the parade organizers’ working group, said the event was inspired by the Doo-Dah Parade in Pasadena, California, first held in 1978. Decades ago, Karpel said he saw a photo from the parade showing accountants in suits and ties performing a synchronized dance routine with their briefcases in hand.
“It never left my mind,” Karpel said, and the DoozyDo Parade will be similarly “joyful, inclusive and unconventional.”
Other concepts at the Doo-Dah Parade have included cowboys dancing with lawnmowers, a formal dinner party on wheels, a convertible that was transformed into a hot tub and a “20-Man Invisible Man” contingent that was actually one person holding a sign and lots of empty space behind them.
Northampton Neighbors describes itself as a free, virtual retirement community that connects seniors with each other and with volunteers who provide rides to the doctor or the grocery store and complete minor household tasks such as changing hard-to-reach light bulbs.
The nonprofit will celebrate its fifth anniversary in the fall; with nearly 1,100 seniors participating, the group represents about 20% of the city’s older adult population, and organizers said they hope to raise awareness of the program in addition to funds.
Leading off the marchers will be the Expandable Brass Band, a 1960s-era Northampton Police Department cruiser and a nearly century-old firetruck nicknamed “Noah’s Ark.” Organizers said the Pioneer Valley Roller Derby, the Northampton High School marching band and staff from Forbes Library are among those who plan to participate.
“Like Northampton Neighbors, there’s a place for everyone,” Karpel said. “We think it’s going to be a heck of a lot of fun” while connecting young people and older adults in the area, and encouraging people to visit Northampton.
Parade-goers will have the chance to get their photos taken with Gertrude the Gargoyle, the event’s mascot, which used to sit atop the Words & Pictures Museum on Main Street.
Sponsorship opportunities are available for businesses in several tiers up to $2,500. A local company, for example, has paid for a bagpiper to perform.
Fellow parade organizer Marcia Holden said that while Northampton Neighbors needs to raise money, it’s just as important to forge connections between people.
Northampton Neighbors is “starting with our in-person services again” following nationwide pandemic-related restrictions on gatherings, Holden said. The parade, originally set for September 2020, was pushed back two years.
“It was really hard on us when we couldn’t provide the services that we love to do,” Holden said. “It feels good for us to do what we do.”
Sharon Martula, 79, is a member of Northampton Neighbors. She said a series of volunteers have driven her to appointments and stores when family members are not available, and she described her current driver as “a marvel.”
“What they do for me is get me out of the house, which is wonderful,” Martula said. “You can’t even imagine what it feels like to have a non-family member care that much about you.”
Volunteers visited Martula at home during the thick of the pandemic, lifting her out of a sense of isolation.
“It was such an opportunity for me, and they do so many things. I’ve had people come over and sit in my garden with me, just to come over and talk, enjoy the garden, enjoy a cup of coffee,” Martula said. “It brings joy to me just to talk about it.”
She said she plans to march in the parade alongside her daughter, with her granddaughter pushing her wheelchair. If she can’t decide on a theme, she will go as “just an old lady in a frilly dress.”
To learn more about the DoozyDo Parade, call (413) 225-1363 or email doozydo@northamptonneighbors.org.
Brian Steele can be reached at bsteele@gazettenet.com.