The 2008 Ninja Parade

Very few people are aware that in Mississippi we have some of the most
highly trained and skilled ninjas in the entire world. It’s true, We do!
Though you may be asking how can this be as the ninja is part of the
Japanese culture. Well, a long long time a small ninja clan moved from their
traditional home in Osaka, apparently the manufacturing plants made too
much noise for their liking, and transplanted themselves in my home town
and soon spread themselves far and wide around the entire state.

As an annual event they celebrate their “new” home by giving us non-ninja
a spectacular parade. i was fortunate enough to be offered the opportunity
to act a photographer and reporter at their request. (the fact they offered to
give me a wedgie with a sword if I didn’t had nothing to do with my decision…)

Here we have their famed, if hard to locate, head quarters and home. How many
ninjas live and work here? No one is entirely sure. Disguised as a vacant lot it has
ensured them a peaceful locale to practice their arts.

And they’re off on their steady march through the entire town. You can see that
they truly are masters of stealth. I’ve blown this picture up and used every filter
I have and have yet to find a single trace of them!

Here they stopped for a moment to show off the precision sword drill.
Amazing technique and superior form to any team I have ever seen!

Here we see there marching band showing that they can in fact hide in broad
daylight without as much as a blade of grass for cover!

They don’t just stop at a parade, no way, they treat use to an all day event!
Including a picnic…

And a softball game in which they invite ninjas from every part of the state to play
and attend. I was lucky to have been given a press pass for this. It was shoulder
to shoulder!

The end of the final inning, the bases were load and our home team managed to
whip the visitors! As you can tell the crowd had trouble containing their excitement.

Here we have two graduates of our local high school catching up after the game.
The good thing about ninjas is that you don’t need to worry about getting them to
sign waivers…

Again we see them showing off their skills by cleverly disguising a gift shop and
book store as abandoned buildings.

Is this my shadow? Mwwuuuuhahahaha…. I’ll never tell.