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title: People Are Throwing Social Distance Parades to Lift Spirits
description: People are throwing safe parades amid coronavirus.
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og:title: These Socially Distant But Still Social People Are Throwing Mini Parades to Lift Spirits Amid Coronavirus
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# These Socially Distant But Still Social People Are Throwing Mini Parades to Lift Spirits Amid Coronavirus

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by 

[Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/)


## Melissa Locker


Mar 24, 2020 4:06 PM UTC

by 

[Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/)


## Melissa Locker


Mar 24, 2020 4:06 PM UTC

As people are staying indoors to help prevent the further spread of [coronavirus](https://time.com/5804786/coronavirus-issue/), mini parades of the socially distant variety are popping up.

To help give a morale boost to parents trying to work from home while teaching their children while schools are closed, some community-minded folks are doing what they can to keep their neighbors entertained from a distance. People around the globe have been hosting little parades to cheer up folks doing their part in this effort.

These ad hoc celebrations are a safe way to say hello, reconnect, and celebrate communities while maintaining a safe social distance. Teachers from the Northwest Elementary School in Leominster, Mass., threw together a parade to say hello to their students, according [to the local CBS affiliate](https://boston.cbslocal.com/2020/03/23/coronavirus-massachusetts-schools-leominster-parade/). Teachers from the West Towson Elementary School in Towson, Md. [did the same](https://www.wbaltv.com/article/coronavirus-west-towson-elementary-school-teachers-parade/31887997) for their students, as did Ohio teachers from the Northwest Local Schools in Canal Fulton.

> [](https://twitter.com/alexstokestv/status/1242121844850937858)

Same for teachers at this school in Kansas City, Mo.:

> [](https://twitter.com/DrStephensEdD/status/1242149089980137475)


Friends, family, and neighbors threw a birthday parade for a 7-year old in Poolesville, Md., CBS’s [Baltimore affiliate reports.](https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2020/03/22/coronavirus-birthday-party-parade-poolesville-maryland/) A [Becker, Minn., community](https://www.fox9.com/news/neighbors-celebrate-4-year-olds-birthday-with-parade-after-coronavirus-cancels-party) helped cheer up 4-year-old Elly whose birthday party was canceled due to the [coronavirus](https://time.com/5806312/coronavirus-treatment-cost/) pandemic Amy Drehmel told [FOX 9](https://www.wogx.com/news/neighbors-celebrate-4-year-olds-birthday-with-parade-after-coronavirus-cancels-party), and [a group](https://twitter.com/ABC7Brandi/status/1240762990028140545) of drive-by partiers in Santa Clarita helped a five-year old mark the day.

> [](https://twitter.com/ABC7Brandi/status/1240762990028140545)

A family in Ireland threw a St. Patrick’s Day parade in their backyard complete with toy cars and trucks to keep spirits up while in lockdown, [ABC reports.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMI64zQ3nt8)

> [](https://twitter.com/ABC/status/1240026902016012295)


While birthdays and holidays may merit celebration, not every parade needs a reason other than spreading good cheer. In Milwaukee, neighbors put together a parade where everyone dressed up in dinosaur suits and ran around. According to [_Milwaukee Journal Sentinel_,](https://www.jsonline.com/picture-gallery/news/2020/03/22/neighbors-organize-social-distance-dinosaur-parade-during-coronavirus/2895573001/) one dino carried a ruler to make sure all participants stayed the required six feet apart to stay safe.

> [](https://twitter.com/mdesisti/status/1241910084541784064)

Over in New Mexico, [local news outlet KOB 4 reports](https://www.kob.com/coronavirus/one-woman-parade-brings-joy-to-those-stuck-at-home-in-belen/5679084/) that Belen residents Gloria and Bud Hill have been holding daily parades to cheer on—and cheer up—their neighbors. Gloria sits in the back of a pickup truck as her husband drives through town waving and saying hello from a safe distance:

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