NMC had a "visible presence" in the 2011 Maple Festival Parade -- I finally got to activate my "let's get a blimp" plan ... Despite doubt from some and high wind advisories from the weathermen, the crew kept the faith and it was great fun! We were greeted with "wow" and "cool" and "great blimp!" and "fruit's a great idea" all along the route. We enjoyed the "branded message on the blimp", the Blimp Team T-shirts, the celebration of "raising patient satisfaction to new heights", the 30+ staff and family who wanted to march with the blimp, and the 1500 boxes of nature's candy (raisins - get it?) that an appreciative crowd gobbled up! We even took home a blue ribbon! Special thanks go out to Blimp Acquisition Expert Corey, Chief Inflation Officer Michele, and Blimp Guidance Officer Leo - their humorous problem solving approaches helped this silliness succeed. The blimp then went to the airspace in Cobblestone, awaiting it's next adventure.