At the Olathe Old Settler’s Parade

I was walking around the Old Settler’s Festival Saturday afternoon, taking in the sights, when a young woman stopped, pointed at me, and just started laughing. This made me uneasy for a moment as this was eerily similar to how every girl treated me when I was 13.

I snapped back from horrible teenage memories when she walked up and shook my hand. She told me how much she loved my campaign’s entry in the parade that morning. “All those other old guy politicians ride in cars,” she said. “But you… you did it how it should be done.” I asked her for her name, thanked her, and invited her to be in my next parade. She beamed.

From Olathe Old Settler's Parade

I’d say that 95 percent of the time, working at getting elected is serious and often tedious work. The parade was different. It was special. Little kids running up to you and giving you high-fives I think would never get old.

From Olathe Old Settler's Parade

There were three “favorite” things that worked well, I think.
1) The big walking banana carrying the “No Sales Tax on Food” sign.
2) The people carrying brooms next to a sign that read, “Clean Up Topeka!”
3) That there was someone next to me carrying a big sign that read, “THIS is Sean Tevis!”.

The best part was improvised, however. I didn’t plan on what I should do in the parade because I was so busy worrying about getting signs made, cleaning the house, and having breakfast for volunteers. When we turned the first corner and I saw a group of people, I walked right up to them and said, “My name is Sean Tevis. (and sort of yelled) Hellooo!” and they yelled back “Hellooo!” to me. It was great! I kept doing it all through the parade.

From Olathe Old Settler's Parade

Thank you to the 22 wonderful people who got up early and marched with me. I’d list their names here, but most of them are Republicans. I want to check with them first because I’m pretty sure they’d be put on the “Do Not Fly” list if the wrong people found out.

I want to give a huge thank you to all of the great people I saw at the parade who yelled “Hellooo!” back to me. You all made this an event that I’ll be able to tell my kids about years from now. Except when I tell it then, it will be 120 people marching with me and the crowds lifted me up on their shoulders and gave me doughnuts. But you know, I still wouldn’t enjoy that more than what I did on Saturday. Thank you!