Barry and I love the Bristol 4th of July Parade. We actually used to live right in downtown Bristol and did not have to travel but 10 paces up the street to watch the Parade. We now live over the bridge (as we Rhode Islanders say) and a few towns from there. It takes about 45 minutes to get the the beginning of the Parade route on a non-Parade day. On Parade day… well, it’s anyone’s guess. We park our car a couple of miles outside of town and walk in, then hope to get a tiny space in the shade. Hundreds of thousands of people come to Bristol every 4th of July season to line the streets to see the longest continuously running parade in the entire United States of America. Since 1785. That’s 225 years. Now that’s a long time!
And hundreds and hundreds of participants come to Bristol to march in the Parade. I took some photos of the Parade this year… and maybe someone out there will recognize someone or some ones from the marching bands that come from all over the country to help celebrate Bristol’s big celebration. There were bands from Texas, Ohio, Nebraska, Maryland, Minnesota, Florida, Massachusetts, Connecticut and more!
And if the Parade is not enough reason to fall in love with Bristol, Rhode Island, just check out the article in the July 4, 2010 Parade Magazine, naming Bristol The Nation’s Most Patriotic Town… http://www.parade.com/news/2010/07/02-the-most-patriotic-town-in-america.html
And if that’s not enough, consider that Family Circle’s August edition names Bristol one of the nation’s 10 Perfect Places to Raise Kids. What an honor!
But back to the Parade. Check out the photos and pass them along to anyone who knows anyone who marched in Bristol’s 225th Parade. Let me know if you find someone!
I know you, Barry, Jane, and Brian (ok, Brian by proxy), but didn’t recognize anyone else. I knew some other people in the crowd, but didn’t see them in your photos. 🙂
Glad it was such a beautiful day and a great time!
Wow you pictures are fantastic! What a fun day. I wasn’t aware of the history of the parade. 225 years?! What a wonderful tradition. 🙂
Wow you pictures are fantastic! What a fun day. I wasn’t aware of the history of the parade. 225 years?! What a wonderful tradition. 🙂
What awesome pictures! I love parades, especially the bagpipers. The town I grew up in has the longest running Labor Day parade in the midwest… 91 years, which is nothing compared to 225!
Many moons ago, when the boys were young, Pepsi Cola used to have a float in the Bristol 4th of July parade that was decorated by a committee of employees and their families. It was great fun and my husband Carlos was the driver of the Pepsi Truck that pulled the float. Each year was a different theme. But for some reason, they stopped doing the float and as the boys grew up, we found ourselves watching more parades on TV than in person. Sad to say, but true. I miss those days, but at least we have those wonderful memories of a bunch of us working together to create something that was such a fun part of Rhode Island tradition.
You are so lucky to have a wonderful parade like that to go to. Our lame town had nothing. You would never have known it was the 4th of July. People were up in arms. As I’m sure you guessed, I don’t appear to know anyone that marched in the parade. Love the pictures of you, Barry, Jane and Brian though.
FABULOUS pictures! Great ones of you, Barry, Jane and Brian…Our town has a nice parade but nothing like this one. I want to move to R.I.