Today is the first of two parades for Holland, Michigan’s Tulip Time festival — tens of thousands of people along the parade route downtown. And one of my favorite things is watching the security preparations:

• Armed police presence throughout the crowd

• All vehicle access points barricaded

• Surveillance and sniper teams visible on several rooftops

And these are just the ones I can see — I’m sure there’s much more!

UPDATE:

• Canine units patrolling the crowd

• Police helicopters overhead