July 4th: Northwest Hills Lawn Chair Brigade to perform in annual parade

AUSTIN, Texas - Every Fourth of July, a group of ladies in Northwest Hills called the Lawn Chair Brigade walks in the neighborhood parade, performing with their lawn chairs.

What they're saying:

Ann Denkler says she has been leading the group since 1999.

"I can't say enough good things about it. It is joy. You see these women maybe one time a year, but when you meet with them in rehearsal, it's like you hadn't missed a day," Denkler said.

She's the third leader in the brigade's history. She says the group was started in 1992 by a woman named Marilyn Henderson who moved into the neighborhood.

"She had lived in Turkey, and she was worried about making friends, so she roped her neighbor on one side, her neighbor on the other side to do routines with aluminum lawn chairs," Denkler said.

Denkler says the inspiration came from an event in Mississippi, where you could race to the front of the stands with a lawn chair and get free admission. There was also a "Briefcase Brigade" in New York.

The Lawn Chair Brigade started with just a couple of people, and now it's up to 70 members. They range in age from 18 to 84. Some elected officials are even in it, including State Rep. Donna Howard. A couple of men have even joined, including one whose wife, who was in group, had passed.

Judy Maggio has been in the group for ten years, but still calls herself a newbie. She had always watched the group and joined after a friend said she was in it.

"It's pure joy. It's purely joy. It's community. It's camaraderie. It's friendships, and that's the beauty of it," Maggio said. "We're performing these silly routines with lawn chairs and a parade, but at the heart of it is a lot of women getting together of all ages, all backgrounds and doing something fun that makes people smile and makes us smile. We all need that in our lives."

The ribbons on each person's lawn chair shows how many years they've been in the brigade.

Denkler says it can be hard to find the chairs because they have to be in the traditional style. They're lightweight, but sometimes the chairs break. Denkler has rewoven a lot of them.

"We dumpster dive for lawn chairs. We circulate brush and bulky days. We cultivate little old ladies with chairs in their garage, estate sales and the like. They're hard to find," she said.

Of course, it's all about having fun in "red, white and bling," not perfection.

"We use the same routine every year, but we can't remember it from year to year, so that's how we roll. Synchronized we're not, Angela, and nobody cares. They see the fun, they see the smiles, they see this sparkle, you know, they enjoy it with us," Denkler said.

What you can do:

If you want to watch the Lawn Chair Brigade perform, the parade starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday, but arrive early for parking. 

The route starts at Waterline and Far West, and the Brigade usually goes last. The end point will be Doss Elementary.

HolidaysNorthwest Austin