"With a heavy heart, I'm sad to report that on June 5th, 2008, the beloved "Pepper Van" met its untimely end...felled by a storm-tossed tree in Wyoming, Ohio."

But let us not remember how She passed, but how She lived. She came to us in 2001. She logged hundreds of miles carrying a generation of Cincinnatians to and from parades and delivering signs to thousands of households...always reliable, always workmanlike. And even when backed into a building or driven into other vehicles, She never complained.

DaVinci once reflected: "As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well used brings happy death." While it ended poorly, the Pepper Van indeed led a life well-used.

As we enter the post-van era, it's time to create new memories! Please join us this Fourth of July.

We will be marching in Madeira on Thursday at 6:30pm. On Friday July 4th, we will march the streets of Montgomery, Northside and Sharonville. Joining us for even one parade will be a great help.

If you would like to volunteer in one or all of the upcoming parades, just email Bridget at Bridget@davidpepper.com.