Archive: Around Town

On the 4th the Keefe's Fourth of July parade was rained out, so they rescheduled for lucky 07/07/07, a perfect sunny day.  Nearly 100 kids decorated bicycles, scooters, and wagons, and dressed up in patriotic costumes, and by 10:30am they were lined up at Autumn Ridge, ready to march.  Between 20 and 30 kazoo virtuosos formed a band at the rear, while a large inflatable Uncle Sam let the parade.  "I love seeing all the energy and the creativity of the kids for the parade to celebrate Independence Day," says orgainzer Janet Keefe.  It gives me tingles to see what they come up with.  And they get so excited about it."

Janet and husband Bob began the Fourth of July tradition 11 years ago, and it has been held about a half dozen times since then.  Now they rotate with Matt and Kristin Burt, who will host the parade at their house next year.  The costumes and floats are judged, and all the kids get prizes.  The parade is followed by a dish to pass lunch and games including a three legged race, two legged race, water balloon toss, potato sack race, wheelbarrow race, whipped cream and marshmallow pie eating contest.  "We did that a couple of years ago and I won, but I got really sick," said Bob Keefe.  "I'm going to watch this year."


Janet got the idea from her mother, who conducted kids parades for the Fourth when Janet was a child.  "My Mom grew up on the south shore of Long Island," she says.  "Every Fourth of July at the beach club on the ocean they had a parade around the big pool with Uncle Sam leading them, and a band.  We would go and do it with her as children, and I'd always wanted to do a Fourth of July parade."


Janet says there were a lot of unhappy kids when the event was rained out on Wednesday.  140 children were scheduled to march that day. 

	Click picture above to hear Anchors Aweigh

About 40 of them couldn't make it on the rain date because of family trips and weekend vacations.  But friends and families came from as far away as Pennsylvania to take part, and the celebration and games continued into the afternoon.

Uncle Sam led the procession about half way around the Autumn Ridge circle with flags waving and the kazoo band playing patriotic songs including The Star Spangled Banner and When the Caissons Go Rolling Along, and old favorites like Home on the Range and The Hokey Pokey (complete with dance moves).  The Keefes provided the kazoos, which band members got to take home afterward.




Kristin Burt is already planning next year's parade.  "Next year is leap year,' she says.  "We expect it to be a beautiful sunny day.  We will plan exactly for that, and we hope everyone can make it.  It will be on Friday morning, so if people want to get away for the weekend, hopefully they can still fit the parade in."

The main feature was the kids, who decked themselves out for the occasion.  One boy dressed as Uncle Sam, complete with a cotton ball beard.  Much was made of each child as judges Deb LaVigne, Jeannie Taylor, and Ryan Cretney had a prize for 'Best Costume,' and 'Best Decorated Bicycle,' and a myriad of award titles to cover everyone.

"It's about people getting together and sharing time with each other," Kristin Burt says.  "You know, old fashioned fun."

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