Bob CollinsWe are hours away from concerts, fireworks and picnics. But one tradition in Minnesota is playing out today: Dibs season.
In Apple Valley this afternoon, for example, most of the good front-row viewing spots for tomorrow’s Fourth of July parade are gone, thanks to the recent practice of “dibs,” staking out a section of the street a day in advance and then saving it with a variety of clever methods, often involving duct tape (I last wrote about this here).
Some communities tried to rein in the practice by disallowing dibs more than 24 hours before the parade starts. But in Apple Valley, people showed up this morning, marked their dibs, and stood there until 1 p.m., when they left their blankets, chairs, 2x4s, small children and, possibly, microwaves behind. (note: one of those items is a complete lie.)
Still unclear is when exactly this caught on. The practice of dibs at parades is as odd as putting out lawn chairs and Elvis statues to save parking spaces you shoveled out.
I realize I’m late asking, but should you spot particularly creative dibs in the next day or so, kindly snap a picture and send it to me.
We’re not done with parade season yet and most of my chairs have been stolen — and I used the last of the duct tape fixing a duct.
