BRATTLEBORO — The “By the People: Brattleboro Goes Fourth” citizens committee invites the public to the town’s 42nd annual Independence Day celebration, set for Saturday, July 4, with a morning parade downtown and afternoon and evening program of family activities and fireworks at Living Memorial Park.
Some 50 marching units — including the Brattleboro American Legion and Brattleboro Union High School bands, veterans, civic and youth groups — will kick off the festivities at 10 a.m. with a parade along Canal and Main streets to the town Common.
Brattleboro’s Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, this year’s parade sponsor, will lead the march with its giant American flag, while local personality Alfred Hughes Jr. will conclude the event by debuting his annual top-secret gown.
(BCTV will broadcast the parade live at 10 a.m. on local cable television channel 8 and online at brattleborotv.org.)
After, the town Recreation & Parks Department will offer a series of public concerts, sporting events and family activities at Living Memorial Park — just off Western Avenue and Interstate 91 Exit 2 — from 2 p.m. to the start of fireworks (by Northstar, a Vermont-owned company) at 9:30 p.m.
Highlights include a New England Center for Circus Arts performance at 5:45 p.m., children’s concert by Les Julian at 6:30 p.m., and the Peter Miles Band playing funk, soul and rock and roll at 7 p.m.
All programs are free thanks to citizen, civic and corporate donations, including major supporters at the Brattleboro Reformer, C&S Wholesale Grocers, G.S. Precision Inc., Holstein Association USA, the Richards Group and the event’s fireworks fundraising partner, Brattleboro Savings & Loan.
More information is available by logging onto the Brattleboro Goes Fourth Facebook page, www.facebook.com/BrattleboroGoesFourth, or by emailing brattleborogoesfourth@gmail.com.
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“BY THE PEOPLE: BRATTLEBORO GOES FOURTH” SCHEDULE
Saturday, July 4, 2015
9:30 a.m.: Bill Powers Memorial Firecracker 4-Miler. For more information, log onto www.redcloverrovers.com
DOWNTOWN:
10 a.m.: Parade, Canal to Main Street to Common (children can decorate bikes at 9 a.m. at Vermont Inn Pizza on 228 Canal St.)
LIVING MEMORIAL PARK:
2-9:30 p.m.: Food and family activities
2-3:30 p.m.: Children’s penny carnival with face painting and games
2:30 p.m.: Small Fry baseball all-star game
3 p.m.: Swim races
5:45 p.m.: New England Center for Circus Arts performance. For more, log onto necenterforcircusarts.org
6:30 p.m.: Children’s concert by Les Julian. For more, log onto www.lesjulian.com
7-9:30 p.m.: Peter Miles Band playing funk, soul and rock and roll. For more, log onto milessongs.com
9:30 p.m.: Fireworks by Northstar, a Vermont-owned company based in Montpelier
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HISTORY
Brattleboro’s free, family July 4 celebration will celebrate its 42nd anniversary in 2015.
The event, with its morning parade downtown and afternoon and evening of sports, music and fireworks at Living Memorial Park, began in 1973 under the leadership of the late J. Wayne Corbeil, then president of the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce.
The chamber organized the celebration until 2010, at which time local leaders formed the “By the People: Brattleboro Goes Fourth” citizens committee to take over planning responsibilities. The all-volunteer nonprofit group, working cooperatively with the town Recreation & Parks Department, annually raises money to pay for local bands, pyrotechnics and appropriate liability insurance and security.
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Older Fourths
Reading through the old newspapers, it seems that there were many years when Brattleboro didn’t celebrate a fourth of July at all, other than at private parties. Every once in a while we got it together to have some sort of event.
One early Fourth involved recitations and songs by schoolchildren, and speeches by the clergy. There would frequently be some sort of meal or picnic, and sometimes a parade.
Early on, balloon ascensions were popular. For a while, one annual tradition was the launching of a balloon with fireworks attached, often from downtown or on the Island.
One aspect of the Fourth that I hadn’t known about was the night of mischief on July 3rd. There are frequent stories of all night explosions, pistol firings, cannons, fire-crackers, India-crackers, squibs, and so on. The term “hideous” comes up a lot in describing the pre-Fourth all-night noise.
Here’s a report from 1877:
“Although the Fourth of July is not to be celebrated this year in the usual manner by the village, it appears the children will be no losers, as the band of Gypsies propose showing their respect for American institutions by a grand display of fireworks to take place on the same ground as that chosen for the public display of last year, while on the adjoining grounds of Mr. Ranger, where this wandering tribe, dressed in full gala costume, will pitch their tents, several curiosities from foreign parts will be on exhibition.”
They had a mummy, a fortune teller and more.
personal parade on western ave
As I was walking back from the corner store this morning, and entire float of solar-powered BS&L employees rode by, said hello and waved. I also caught a few Thompson House vans going by.
How was the parade for everyone else? : )