Geodog

How Berkeley Can You Be?

I finally got around to sorting through and captioning the photos I took of the How Berkeley Can You Be? parade and Art Car fest that was held in Berkeley at the end of September. Going through the pictures reminded me of some of the reasons I like living in Berkeley so much. Sure, people regularly overdo political correctness here, and there were a lot of "Only in Berkeley" groups and moments in the parade, but on the whole it was an amazing display of the diversity, creativity and sense of humor that make this a fun place to live. There were also a lot of self-mocking groups poking fun at Berkley. I love it when people retain the ability to laugh at themselves, and it is a highly desirable quality for living in Berkeley. Luckily, it is also a frequently displayed quality.

One of the stars of the parade was the Sashimi Tabernacle Choir, an art car from Houston Texas, of all places. 5 miles of wiring that must have taken months of work to put together, all for a bunch of plastic fish and lobsters who sing while being conducted by large crustacean. It sounds silly, but it was wonderful. I could track its progress down University Avenue by the gales of laughter is spawned as it passed by. After the parade, people crowded around for hours and were treated to special performances by the Choir. I got some good photos. If it comes to your town, don't miss it. Or it even has its own website, with a very funny account of its construction, you can check it out at www.sashimitabernaclechoir.org.