Coronavirus Birthday Parade Leaves Edgewater Tween Beaming

EDGEWATER, MD — For most kids, it's tough being out of school and away from friends during the new coronavirus outbreak. Even though older kids understand why there's no school, it doesn't make it any easier to miss out on school field trips, planned sleepovers and other fun activities. It's even harder when the quarantine and the coronavirus coincide with a birthday.

Like many other kids, fifth-grader Leo Reinecker is missing school and his activities.

"Leo loves his friends at school and really misses them. He’s one of those kids that is truly friends with everyone. He’s bummed about missing all the fun end of the year events and fifth-grade promotion if we don’t go back to school. He also had the lead role of LeFou in the school production of 'Beauty and the Beast.' That was a big disappointment since they all have been working so hard," his mom, Lauren Reinecker, told Patch.

Even tougher to cope with is the fact that Leo turned 11 years old recently and with social distancing guidelines in place, it was impossible to think of a safe way to celebrate. Until Mom had a brilliant idea.

"He was bummed because he's a spring birthday and we typically do something to celebrate with friends and family at home in our backyard," Reinecker told Patch. "I organized the parade by texting friends and family. My neighbor, Lindsey Dickson, was the grand marshal and had everyone gather and line up on her street. Alexandra offered to videotape it. Our neighborhood, Poplar Point, is always up for making memories."

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When Leo's birthday arrived, she encouraged him to head outside. The happy-go-lucky Edgewater Elementary student glanced down the road and couldn't believe what he saw headed his way. First, there was a family pedaling on bikes with a special delivery followed by a UTV with a boldly colored birthday sign and kids shouting happy birthday. Then, there was a steady stream of car after car slowly cruising down his road to wish him a happy birthday.

"The best part of his response was his smile. That boy is loved by so many. He was truly surprised and couldn’t believe that everyone took time out of their day to do this for just him. We all can’t stop talking about it and the kids especially like to watch the video over and over again," said Reinecker. "What I loved most about his parade was the joy it brought everyone during this time ... that joy was contagious."

As the third out of six kids, Leo was treated to a family party after the conclusion of the parade. He requested Ledo's pizza and ice cream cake. A sweet treat is perfect for a sweet kid who received the Kathleen Dempsey Exceptional Friend Award as chosen by the staff at his school.

While waiting for the social distancing measures to pass, Leo loves to pass the time by playing lacrosse in his backyard while waiting for the season to officially return and doodling. He's also built bike tracks with ramps in the woods behind his home with his siblings.

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