By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
On April 18, a group of friends joined together to form a socially distanced, birthday caravan in celebration of Gina Raleigh, a Cazenovia resident and teacher in the DeRuyter Central School District.
“As a group of social girls who love to have fun and get together, this social distancing is very hard,” said Barb Axelson, one of the event’s organizers. “It was our dear friend’s birthday and we wanted to do something special. Robin Lucas came up with the idea of a drive-by parade . . . I know it brought smile to her face and made her day a little brighter.”
The parade featured more than 50 cars, many of which were decorated with balloons and signs. Following the parade, a birthday cake was delivered to Raleigh’s home.
According to Raleigh, the celebration was an appreciated surprise.
“I ran to the front door because my husband said that the all-white deer, ‘Snow White,’ was in our front yard,” she recalled. “Once outside, I was greeted by a full-on parade of decorated cars led by a tractor and my friend Robin barking out the names of those passing by with a megaphone. It was an ordinary birthday suddenly supersized, and I was completely surprised. I felt the love of everyone involved. I’m still laughing about it now, with a grateful heart. This is why I love living in this wonderful town.”
