Stamford’s forgotten balloon parades of 1950s

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Parades, it appears, might be forgotten as rapidly because the final password you modified (now you’re desirous about it, aren’t you?). The Stamford parade returns for the primary time since 2019 after a COVID hiatus. You wouldn’t anticipate space residents to neglect an occasion that beforehand ran uninterrupted since 1993, however let me exhibit that historical past might be ephemeral.

Stamford had balloon parades from 1955-57. I do know as a result of I learn it within the newspaper (keep in mind these?). Archives reveal they weren’t small both, not like the primary fashionable Stamford parade on Black Friday by which marchers repeated the loop to double the five-minute working time.

Even the balloons again then outnumbered their fashionable ancestors. This Sunday’s parade promised 15 inflatables. Again in 1955, there have been 35. At this time they are usually branded characters that insist on utilizing full start names (Daniel Tiger, Thomas the Tank Engine, Clifford the Massive Crimson Canine. I don’t know why he’s not Robert the Builder). Again then a lot of the inflatables have been generic characters, save for the likes of Elmer the Monkey and Porky the Pig.

And right here’s a twist: Parades of the Ike years happened at evening. The minds-eye can’t assist however summon the likes of flickering back-and-white photos on a Philco TV set. Strive somewhat tougher. Think about one thing akin to “Miracle on 34^th Street” being immediately colorized as then Mayor Thomas Quigley declared the beginning of purchasing season by ordering on the illumination of the lights draped throughout Atlantic Avenue and its intersections. Increase, thrives of coloration bathing downtown Stamford.

It doesn’t assist that the mayor’s pomp and circumstance was restricted to a pedestrian “OK” sign  to launch the parade. It additionally doesn’t assist that that is the half after I ought to be capable of quote an eyewitness. Some trusty Stamford voice who was a mere youngster on the time, nonetheless in a position to paint a phrase image with Spielbergian consideration to interval element.

“……” she stated. “…………!”

That’s proper, I acquired nothin’.

Since first discovering clips about The Fifties’ parades 20 years in the past, I’ve routinely  requested longtime Stamford residents in the event that they have been there. I’ve had zero success, so this week I lit a fuse to attempt to unfold the phrase across the metropolis, assured that one of many reportedly 25,000 individuals in attendance might put phrases the place these ellipses seem.

I reached out to the Stamford Senior Center to ballot members.

“They don’t appear to recall,”  reported Gina Compolattaro, assistant to the director.

It appeared serendipitous that U.S. Rep. Chris Shays dropped me a observe Thursday as a result of he occurred to be on the town to handle the Senior Males’s Affiliation. It wasn’t.

Dan Burke on the Stamford Historical Society struck out asking some seniors, so he pivoted to the “For those who’re actually from Stamford, you’d know . . .” Fb group.

I’m beginning to surprise if anybody is absolutely from Stamford.

Renee Kahn, who’s synonymous with preservation in Stamford, arrived within the metropolis simply after the parades. Carmen Domonkos directed me to a fellow longtime Board of Representatives member Philip Giordano, whose brother Bruno was as soon as mayor. Giordano recalled he had simply began with the fireplace division in these years and may need been on name.

“I’m 95 and I don’t keep in mind it,” he stated Friday. “However I sit up for studying your article.”

So do I.

Rick Redniss, a local and land use planner, steered a number of attainable sources. The closest we got here to success was the ever-trusty Al Koproski, a lifetime resident who was serving within the U.S. Military on the time and stationed in close by Staten Island.

“I do vaguely keep in mind the Balloon Parade but it surely was nothing like what we now have immediately,” Koproski wrote again.

Redniss additionally requested if I had executed the apparent and checked in with the Downtown Particular Providers District, which pulls the strings on the trendy parade.

I informed them about it years in the past, I defined.

“We thought we have been inventing a wheel, not reinventing one,” former DSSD impresario Sandy Goldstein stated on the time.

So I went again to my most dependable supply, the newspaper. Throughout our alternate, Redness talked about that his uncle, Arnold Walter, had been a Stamford Advocate photographer for a number of years, however he wasn’t certain of the time interval.

For every of the parade’s three years, all images from the “inflation get together” and the parade are credited to “Walter.”

There have been some enjoyable concepts on the “Yuletide Parade,” together with a 7-foot “magic mailbox” volunteers used for letters to Santa collected from the group. However the textual content reveals a couple of attainable causes the occasion didn’t survive to the Sixties. Dumbo and another balloons couldn’t navigate corners. A few them wound up being transported in severed physique components. After a number of balloons within the inaugural parade rapidly deflated, a “transfusion” station was arrange in 12 months Two at Hoyt and Summer time streets.

An enormous orange organ that launched Santa that first yr misplaced a wheel on the put up workplace and collided with the eight reindeer, so that they needed to skip the ultimate third of the route earlier than it ended on Broad Avenue.

Within the second yr, the float carrying Santa & Co. misplaced two wheels, leaving them stalled in the midst of the route. Wheels certainly wanted to be reinvented.

In 1957, the rechristened “Winter Phantasy” was moved to sunlight hours. Maybe organizers simply needed to extend the chances the principle attraction (no, not Elmer the Monkey) would make it to the end line this time. That technique backfired.

“To the consternation of fogeys, and bewilderment of kids, there have been 5 Santa Clauses, necessitating some fast considering,” the paper reported.

The youngsters determined the First Constancy Santa was the actual deal, since he was the one one with elves and items.

It’s laborious to consider they even made it to a threequel. A letter to the editor deems the primary version “essentially the most discouraging spectacle of the season” and “a prelude to dismay” because the balloons have been stuffed with “scorching gasoline” and dragged across the streets. Even worse, earlier than the wheels fell off Santa’s float in 12 months Two, they crushed the massive toe of a 9-year-old boy.  

He could also be my solely hope for a reminiscence. Hold looking out for a 75-year-old with a limp. 

Certainly nobody would neglect having a toe mashed by Santa, proper? 

John Breunig is editorial web page editor of the Stamford Advocate and Greenwich Time. jbreunig@scni.com; twitter.com/johnbreunig.