There was no telling how tonight would go. Valerie might have been scared by the big loud brass instruments. The drums might have startled her. The crowd might have intimidated her. The weather might have been off.
Or she could have reacted as she did.... with absolute joy!
We drove down to Boulder, me and the kids, for the traditional night-before-a-home-game pep rally that we in these buffalo-loving parts call a Stampede. We started our night at The Post, a local chain that has gluten-free fried chicken. The baby was good for most of it, but she got restless and crabby by the end of dinner. Maybe deep in her heart, she knew the crowd was gathering, and she needed to be a part of it. We went out and chose a spot near the courthouse fountain, right in front of the tubas, and let Val soak it all in. She was interested and curious what was going to happen.
Side note here: I have been told that whenever she hears a prop plane, she immediately searches the sky until she finds it, and she points it out and makes a happy sound. She loves planes. (The reason for this will be apparent shortly.)
The band milled around the 1300 block of the Pearl Street Mall, while the baton twirlers warmed up and Chip the costumed mascot got the band and crowd spun up. The individual sections did a little tuning, and then the whole band tuned to a concert G. Valerie turned her head to the sky. We all noticed, and my daughter was the first to identify it (as her sister had instructed us to this bonus fact). A concert G is the note that aircraft engines hum at. Valerie was looking for airplanes. Damn, I love that kid.
The band snapped to attention, and the snares tapped out the tempo. The band started to play. And the baby lit up like a candle. No, a thousand candles. She loved the band. She beamed and she moved her body and her arms, and she giggled when the parent holding her would bounce in time with the music. The band moved down the mall, behind the football team, and played in a couple more locations, and we traveled along behind them. We saw the surviving (locally) famous twin Peggy on the mall. Her sister Betty died last August, so it was bittersweet to see Peggy. But after 80+ years of attending every CU home game, some fandoms are forever.
We knew Val liked to make music on piano and kid drums. Now we know she loved seeing and hearing the marching band. My clever plot is working. I will make a band geek out of this baby, God willing and the creeks don't rise.
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