Monday, August 5th, 2019
Float makers end long, strange trip
Team was regular parade highlight
By Leslie Gartrell
Photo by Leslie Gartrell/The Daily Standard
The McSober's Saloon and McSports float travels down Main Street in Coldwater for the organizers' last Coldwater Community Picnic parade on Sunday afternoon. The float featured favorite themes from the past such as Andy Griffith, Village People and Toy Story to mark the end of a 43-year-long tradition.
COLDWATER - After 43 years of fantastical and over-the-top floats in the Coldwater Community Picnic parade, McSober's Saloon and McSports took to Main Street in their collaborative float for the last time on Sunday afternoon.
Romie Schwieterman and Joe Bidlack, McSports owners and previous McSober's Saloon owners, have been creating and parading entertaining floats in the community picnic since 1977, although the two said things really kicked off after they opened McSober's Saloon in 1979.
"We put a float in the parade and then we never stopped," Schwieterman said with a laugh.
The duo said they always wanted their floats to be fun for both the kids and adults who would watch them on parade day. Crowd-favorite themes from the past include Andy Griffith, the Village People, the California Raisins and Fruit of the Loom. They've won trophies every year they've been in the parade except for one, Schwieterman said.
"It's fun for us and great for people in the sidelines," he added.
Schwieterman and Bidlack have been on the float every year since its inception with plenty of family, friends and employees joining them in the parade throughout the years.
For this year's theme, the two had everyone pick out some of their favorite themes from previous years for a "McBlast from the past." Bidlack's son Tony and 6 year-old grandson Luke dressed up as Opie Taylor from "The Andy Griffith Show" to hand out candy to parade-goers, bringing the float to three generations of participation.
Joe Bidlack said they've had plenty of fun over the years and learned never to say never to surprises.
The day was emotional, he said, but they had a fabulous response from the crowd, with several people clapping or saying thanks for their years of participation.
The two said now is a good time to end their parade days. It was getting hard to coordinate schedules and get people to help, and Schwieterman said it was growing difficult to find quality parade float-building materials and decorations.
While their parade float career may be over, the two agreed they were happy to make floats that were fun and entertaining for everyone.
