The Rev. Dr. Cal Lord loves parades. Lord, pastor of Westerly's Central Baptist Church, has participated in any number of parades over the years, has professed his love of parades to readers of his popular weekly newspaper columns and he even helped establish a parade to honor local police, firefighters and emergency management personnel. 

Yet when Lord got a call from Joseph H. Potter a few weeks back, with news that the nominating committee for the Permanent Columbus Day Committee had unanimously voted to ask him to serve as the grand marshal for this year's Westerly-Pawcatuck Columbus Day Parade, Lord thought Potter was joking.