Reliving Red Flannel Day

I don’t often talk about my past - including where I’m from. It’s not that I’m ashamed of what’s behind me and what got me where I am today, I guess I just don’t often see the relevance in bringing it up.

That said, in early October of this year, I was forced to relive many aspects of my early years all in one day. You see, the first weekend in October every year, the small town where I’m from celebrates its history. I’m from Cedar Springs, Michigan, and we invented Red Flannel underwear.

On this special weekend every year, my town pulls out all the stops and puts on a celebration for all to enjoy - complete with a marching band show, parade, car show, carnival, and then some.

When I was a little girl, I participated in the festivities every year with my parents. I even ran for the prestigious, yet quirky, title of Red Flannel Queen when I was in high school. For fun, I thought since I’m back home in Michigan, I should go back to Cedar Springs and experience this festival with a fresh pair of eyes, so I did. I brought Ethan to see it as I knew he’d never experienced anything quite like it in his life - I was right.

We were up at the crack of dawn and marched out into the rain to watch the marching bands perform. It was just as entertaining as I remember - it’s hard to believe that most of those musicians are between the ages of 14 and 17! My favorite high school band from way-back-when even covered a Fall Out Boy song - I couldn’t have been more in my element. Then we popped by the apple of my home town’s eye - the Cedar Springs Brewing Company - for lunch.

After some utterly delicious food and the sprinkling rain had subsided a bit, we ventured outside to have a look at the general splendor of the day. And I must say, Red Flannel Day in Cedar Springs looked exactly how I remember it. And seeing everyone all dressed in red and flannel gave me a strange sense of pride that I didn’t know it would. Maybe I’m just getting sentimental in my old age.

We admired the classic American muscle cars in the show, left our mark on the community banner, and watched the hour-long parade of community members dancing and tossing candy at little children. It was a day that’s hard to explain to anyone who hasn’t been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt, first hand.

After it was all said and done, Ethan and I left Cedar with a new (or rekindled, in my case) appreciation for its small-town charm. Red Flannel Day showed me that you can still appreciate where you came from, even when you find out where you’re going. Thank you, Cedar, I reckon we’ll be back again - with [red flannels] on.