PARADES

Parades are a fun way to get a name out. (Here is a picture of Kathleen Thomas and her grandson at the Barry Apple Festival parade).

The campaign decided to give out balloons along the parade route for name recognition. The thought behind balloons is that if you give a kid a helium filled balloon they will keep it for a few days until it finally deflates. In the meantime the parent of a kid will see the words 'Kathleen Thomas for U.S. Senate' repeatedly until the helium dies out.

Something smart the campaign did was have volunteers walk the parade route before the candidate got there. The volunteers would talk to people about her and her stances so that by the time she got there people knew who she was and were excited to see her.

At this particular parade Kathleen Thomas was the only politician, which can become a big deal to the people watching. While Barry Illinois is not a big town, the festival is a big deal and so is the parade. People like knowing that a politician took time to come. Kathleen Thomas and the rest of the volunteers sure had an enjoyable time.