The charming coastal town of Bristol, Rhode Island, famous for hosting the country’s oldest Independence Day parade, is gearing up to celebrate its 240th anniversary this year. The town kicked off its festivities way back in 1785.
As noted on their parade website, the first documented patriotic service was led by Rev. Henry Wight, a revolutionary veteran from the first congregational church.
The military parade draws patriotic Americans from all over; after all, it seems like we don’t have too many chances to gather like this.
The festival is thought to have originated from community members uniting for a patriotic cause. The website also shares that in the early 1800s, the event took on a more structured format, featuring military units, civilians, and firefighters.
The parade has a unique announcement, “Hear you, hear you, hear you,” which adds a local flavor to the event.
Michael Lily, who became Town Clerk on June 14, 2015, is set to ring in Flag Day with a ceremony on the town’s Common. His grandfather, James D. Lilylee, who retired in 1989, rang the bell for 15 years. When you’re at the event on July 4, you’ll notice Michael joining the parade alongside military, civilians, and firefighters, all while ringing his bells.
Bristol will kick off its celebration on Flag Day, June 14th, and the weeks leading up to the Fourth of July will be filled with various activities, including beauty pageants, field days, carnivals, and concerts. It’s quite the to-do.
An exciting tradition is the annual parade float contest, which judges entries for categories like most patriotic, most beautiful, and most original. All of this goes back to the early 1900s when the US Navy started sending ships to Bristol to partake in the festivities.
This year’s visiting ship will be the USS Billings (LCS-15), a coastal combat vessel under the US 4th Fleet. The festival wraps up on July 4th with a grand 2.5-mile parade featuring military personnel, civilians, and firefighters.
Parade organizers have been contacted for more details.
