By By Gae Elfenbein
PITTSFIELD — The city was abuzz with anticipation last night as parade watchers and producers prepared for today’s Fourth of July parade.
Along the route, latecomers were chagrined to find that most of the good spots from South Street to the First Street bridge already had been taken long before the sun went down. Claims were staked with plastic chairs, benches, chains, tape, rope and blankets.
Just off West Street, more than 2,000 people jammed the Bank of Boston parking lot to watch 13 big balloons being inflated. In the past, the balloons were inflated on the morning of the parade. But Toni McKay and Ray Pulver decided last year that “it was too stressful getting it all done in the morning,” said McKay, owner of Star Bound Entertainment, which is furnishing the balloons.
So Pulver, who has been working on the parade since it began in 1978, and McKay decided to set up the balloons the night before and train half of the handling crews then and the rest in the morning.
Pulver was amazed by the crowd that collected. Spectators cheered when Rocky the squirrel was finished, and applauded and cheered when the team of handlers turned him around as though they had done it all their lives. It had taken 40 minutes of helium infusions to get him into shape, and there were a dozen balloons to go. They would be tethered with sandbags to keep them from blowing away in the night.
Aside from the Pittsfield parade, McKay has balloons in parades being held today in Atlanta, Ga., and Toledo, Ohio.
“But this is my favorite,” said McKay, a woman who obviously enjoys her work.
“I do love it,” she said, excusing herself to run over and move one of the volunteers who was standing on part of the balloon he was helping to inflate.
“It’s wonderful to be able to make so many people happy,” she said, returning to the conversation without missing a beat.
But the job is not all fun and games.
Yesterday, to her dismay and alarm, McKay found that Bullwinkle, who was supposed to be in Atlanta, had arrived here, while Gumby was missing.
“They’re like my kids,” said McKay, describing her state of mind on discovering the snafu.
After uncounted frantic phone calls, Gumby was found at Bradley Airport in Connecticut. Bullwinkle was sent on his way, and Gumby was picked up by McKay’s daughter, Aimee, who arrived at the parking lot at about 9 last night yelling, “Gumby’s here. I’ve got him.”