Carol

Carol started coming to the Dogwood Parade as a young grandmother after she had moved to Phoenixville to be closer to her daughter's growing family. As the tips of her hair frosted silver and she grew more pear shaped she stopped putting 'young'' before 'grandmother,' and her little muppets started calling her "Gran" instead of "Mom Carol." She saw how the parade evolved over the years, growing and shrinking with the discretionary income available, adding floats full of after school acting and karate programs, losing school marching bands. Carol pinched her chubby grandchildren between her knees and clapped their hands for them until, parade by parade, they grew too big and inevitably embarrassed by her enthusiasm. She loved a small town parade and the crystal May skies, the carefree virgin breeze and the youth of spring. Her little ones were in such a hurry to get older, to wriggle out of their Gran Carol's grasp and go running down the street towards independence. But as each one got away there was a new child to take their place, and Carol rededicated her efforts to try and teach a toddler how to Mummer's strut.