In the Parade of the Big Balloons, no balloon is bigger than the most famous creation of Springfield's most famous son, Dr. Seuss.
SPRINGFIELD - There is something magical about the Cat in the Hat, something that makes both young and old feel buoyant.
Throw in a 4,500 cubic feet of helium, and that buoyancy multiples several fold.
The Cat in the Hat triumphantly made his way down Main Street Friday as part of the annual post-Thanksgiving Tower Square Parade of the Big Balloons. No balloon is bigger than the most famous creation of Springfield’s famous son, Theodore Geisel, AKA Dr. Seuss, author of "The Cat in the Hat."
Kids wave. Parents smile. People hang out windows along Main Street to see the Cat in the Hat balloon. Even Springfield police officers who are blocking intersections along the parade route whip out their cellphones and take a picture when the giant Cat in the Hat comes floating by.
Unlike Red Fraggle, Yogi Bear or any of the other balloons in the parade, the Cat in the Hat has that effect on people.
It takes around 220 volunteers each year to work as wranglers – the term used by Spirit of Springfield for the people tethered to ropes who walk underneath the balloons – to properly staff the balloon parade. Roughly 40 alone are needed for The Cat in the Hat, and this year your humble correspondent was one of them.
Assembling at 9 a.m., two hours before the parade steps off, the wranglers are assigned to their balloon, given a rudimentary lesson in holding onto the rope. For example, in the event of an updraft, it is best to hold the rope loosely rather that wrapping it tightly around a limb or in an extreme worst case, your neck.
I was in charge of two ropes, one leading to an arm, and the other to the top of the cat’s head. Moments before we stepped off, the handlers had me untangle the two ropes. Because they had gotten twisted, it altered how the Cat’s hand was turned.
And that just wasn’t right.
When we finally did step out onto Main Street, we were met with the warmest of receptions.
Part of it was the cheers and applause from the spectators. And part of it was because Main Street was in the sunlight and considerably warmer than the staging area on Lyman Street that was totally in the shade.
“As soon as we got into the sunshine and saw the crowd waiting for us, it was worthwhile and we warmed up nicely,” said Sharon Kubik-Boucher, of Chicopee, one of my fellow Cat in the Hat wranglers.
Dressed as one of Santa’s elves, complete with pointed ears, Kubik-Boucher said this was her second year as a wrangler.
“Last year when I did it, it as to check off an item on my bucket list,” she said. “I enjoyed it so much I came back today.”
Marching alongside me down Main Street was a ball of energy named Luis Reyes.
Reyes, employed with the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department, said he volunteers to be a balloon wrangler because the sheriff’s department encourages personnel to get involved in community events.
That was the rationale going in, but once the parade started, Reyes let it be known he was there to enjoy himself.
“I love this! I love this,” he shouted at times. While holding his rope, he continually waved to children along the route, shouting “It’s the Cat in the Hat!” Sometimes he’d say it in Spanish (“El Gato en el Sombrero”).
The first time as a wrangler, Reyes would say afterward that the parade appeals to everyone, whether they are spectators or participants.
“It brings out the kid in you,” he said.
“When you say high to the kids, they enjoy it,” he said. “Kids deserve to be happy, and when they see a parade, they’re happy.”
Kubik-Boucher said it was wonderful to see the faces of glee on all the children when the cat passed by.
“There was a little boy in orange jumping up and down saying ‘Cat in the Hat! Cat in the Hat!” she said.
Spirit of Springfield president Judy Matt said the wranglers used to be employees of companies that had a presence in Springfield. A company would reserved 30 to 40 spaces and they’d show up, she said.
In recent years, the wranglers have tended to be individuals, people coming from all over just to bring a balloon down the parade route. In some ways it’s harder for the Spirit of Springfield, which has to work to round up enough bodies, she said. But in other ways, it's better because it opens it up to more people. “With individuals, more people are allowed to participate,” she said.
A balloon parade will go off in rain or snow but nothing will shut it down faster than the threat of strong winds. In a strong wind, a balloon in a balloon parade will quickly turn into a sail not attached to any boat.
“We’ve never had a parade cancelled because of wind,” said Chris Dixon, of Hadley, who has been the soundman for the parade grandstand for the last several years.
“So far we’ve been pretty lucky,” he said.
“There was the time when we used to march from STCC that either Fred Flintstone or Barney Rubble got caught on a light pole and ended up in a heap on the pavement,” he said. "That was exciting."
The only real concern walking down Main Street were the occasional overhead traffic lights that hung over our path.
With our handlers directing our movements, we’d have to slide to one side of the street, and then turn diagonally to the other side to avoid the overhead lights.
When the parade concludes just past the McDonald’s in the South End, and the spectators who lined the streets begin filing away, the job of the balloon wrangler is only halfway done.
Balloons have to be packed away, and to do that, all the helium in them has to be squeezed out.
“It’s harder to get it out than it is to get it in,” one of the handlers said.
We had to lower the balloon to the ground, open several valves at different parts of the balloon and then squeeze all the gas out. After 20 minutes, the Cat in the Hat, like inflatable pool furniture at the end of summer, was flattened, rolled up and packed away until next year.