Meatball the Bear In Glendale's Rose Parade Float

Meatball, the bear caught snacking on local trash cans in 2012, is the star of Glendale's 2014 Tournament of Roses Parade float, which features wild animals found on the city's hillsides.

He has been feared. And loved. And worried over. And touted as a new-style ursine celebrity in the Twitter age.

Now Meatball the bear — or at least his happy-go-lucky, mechanical likeness — will be the centerpiece of a Rose Parade float sponsored by Glendale, the mountain-rimmed city he just couldn't keep his paws from throughout much of last year.

"It's going to be a head turner," said Glendale Mayor Dave Weaver, speaking of a 35-foot-long float featuring Meatball rising from a trash can, a concept approved by the Glendale City Council this week.

"People really came to care about that bear," Weaver added. "We've got to make sure the snout looks like Meatball's snout, because if not folks are going to say, 'Hey, that's not my bear!'"

At the New Year's Day parade, Meatball will be seen by roughly 700,000 attendees and 84 million television viewers worldwide — a warm-hearted, high-profile embrace by a municipality that once considered him a potentially dangerous nuisance.

The 400-pound black bear burst into the limelight in March 2012, when he broke into a refrigerator at a Glendale residence and treated himself to Costco meatballs. Also known as "Glen Bearian" or @TheGlendaleBear on Twitter, Meatball proved smarter and more persistent than your average bear. He managed to return again and again to the city's neighborhoods, foraging not just for meatballs but for tuna and oranges and other tossed-away food. He often appeared only on days when residents would put out their trash bins.

As residents were told to stay indoors for their safety, California Department of Fish and Game officials shot Meatball with sleep-inducing darts and trucked him off to a nearby forest. But somehow he found his way back to the Glendale area, forcing wardens to tranquilize him and send him packing again.

In August — his social-media-fueled popularity approaching Yogi Bear status — Meatball returned to the foothills once more, only this time he was caught in La Cañada Flintridge and shipped off to a wild animal preserve 45 miles east of San Diego.

Meatball no longer prowls Glendale, but his memory certainly lives on there. On Tuesday night the cash-strapped City Council unanimously approved spending $155,000 on the float, an increase in cost of about 50% over recent Glendale floats. City officials justified the expense because this will be the 100th Rose Parade float sponsored by the city. They also hope to raise at least half of the money from private sources.

So far, however, fundraising is far off that target: $10,000 has been pledged by a Glendale developer, but only $160 by residents.

Weaver said he was sure donations would pour in once news spread about the Meatball theme.

"The idea is already a huge success," he said. "We wanted something fun, whimsical and friendly, and that's Meatball. He's been adopted by Glendale."

Titled "Let's Be Neighbors" and standing about 18 feet tall, the float will showcase the notion that residents must live in harmony with wildlife. Surrounded by smaller animals, Meatball will take center stage, his massive head and torso rising in and out of a tall trash can.

With plans to ship him to Colorado having fallen through, Meatball currently lives in a small pen about the size of a master bedroom, said Bobbi Brink, director of the Lions, Tigers & Bears animal sanctuary near San Diego. Brink explained that the bear is kept in the cordoned-off area because of fears he might fight with another bear on the property.

Brink said construction should finish soon on a lush, 6-acre area in which Glendale's favorite bear will be able to roam freely.

How To Use QR Codes In Parades and Events!

Here are examples of the many ways in which your Parade sponsors can use QR Codes to promote their business or project. Effective applications are to put QR codes on signs, displays, shopping bags, refrigerator magnets, and anything else you can think of. 

 Parade visitors are given the option to opt-in to your mobile marketing campaign. By opting-in these potential customers are not only showing interest in your current Parade; you now have a database of potential customers for future promotions. 

To start your own Parade QR campaign, click here!

QR Codes on Parade Flags!

QR Codes on Parade Decorations!

QR Codes at Parade Venue Locations!

QR Codes at Pet Parades!

QR Codes on Parade Float Statues!

To start your own Parade QR campaign, click here!

Float and Inflatables Grounded for K-Days Parade

The $80,000 balloon was filled with helium and sailed above the crowd for its maiden voyage at the 2012 event, but this year it will be pumped up with cold air and pulled on a platform, city spokeswoman Melissa Lovatt says.

“We just felt the weather has been so unpredictable in the last month or two, and we have had really strong wind gusts that come up really suddenly,” she said Thursday.

“We didn’t want to have to abandon it being in the parade … This was a more consistent alternative.”

The float will travel on a 15-centimetre-high platform, similar to what was used to carry it in last month’s Pride Parade, pulled by about 16 people.

The 10 other inflatable entries in the parade will also be filled with cold air and carried in some way, to avoid paying for helium and so the floats are easier to manage under obstacles, Northlands spokeswoman Kathy Kiss said.

Although world helium supplies were tight in 2012, Lovatt said that isn’t a problem in Edmonton this summer.

Staff at the parade will hand out up to 1,500 party balloons filled from tanks of the recycled lighter-than-air gas provided by the University of Alberta.

The 11-metre-long city float includes green for the river valley, blue for the river, about a dozen large spheres to mark Edmonton cultural groups and a translucent pyramid representing the Muttart Conservatory and City Hall.

It was sent back to the manufacturer in Windsor, Ont., for repairs last summer because some of the painted decorations peeled off after the parade, Lovatt said.

The dark green lower level was removed and the remaining three bottom pieces had painted colours replaced with laser screening before returning to Edmonton in January, she said.

In addition to the Pride Parade, it was displayed at City Hall on Canada Day. Next month, the float is scheduled to be pulled in the Cariwest Parade and might be shown off at Heritage Days.

Lovatt hopes it can still be inflated with helium and soar up to seven metres in the air at an Edmonton Eskimos game or other Commonwealth Stadium event, where there’s more room to manoeuvre.

“This will be the first full season, and we want to create a long-term plan to put it in as many events as possible.”

She’s not disappointed it won’t be travelling overhead Friday, although she doesn’t know if it will ever float at an Edmonton parade again.

“We’re going to see how this is received with the platform and how people look at it, whether it’s more accessible or if people like it more with helium,” she said.

“From our perspective, we really just want people to enjoy it. We want as many people to see it and experience it as possible. If this is the most secure, assured way of doing it, we’re happy to do that.”

The 60-kilogram creation, about four metres high and seven metres wide, folds down to the size of a large tent.

It took five years to come up with a replacement for the last city float.

That structure, a domed greenhouse, rotating oil rig and miniature Fort Edmonton over a truck cab that marked the city’s 2004 centennial, was dismantled because there wasn’t anywhere to store it.

Coun. Kim Krushell, who spearheaded the project, said people wanted a float and the inflatable was a cheaper alternative.

“The balloon is designed to do either (helium or air),” she said.

“The concern I had with helium was with the weather we’ve had lately, if there was a big storm brewing it could be trouble with the trolley wires. We don’t want entanglement.

For details, click here!

'Float' Mural Installed in Chicago Loop

Chicago Loop Alliance (CLA) will unveil Float, a 500-square-foot mural on the façade of 202 S. State Street (the Century Building), on Tuesday, July 16, 2013.  St. Louis-based illustrator and designer Noah MacMillan was commissioned by CLA to create the artwork, which envelopes the corner of the building at State and Adams Streets with an illustration of a surreal parade winding through downtown Chicago, in which colorful sea-creature floats appear to swim through the streets. Float is presented in collaboration with the U.S. General Services Administration, which owns the building, and is a continuation of CLA's ongoing work to activate public space downtown.

"Enlivening and enriching the Loop experience for residents and visitors has always been a priority for Chicago Loop Alliance, and it's a key factor in driving economic development in the Loop," said CLA Executive Director Michael Edwards. "As we conclude our first strategic planning process this summer, we're exploring how artworks like Float can further this goal."

Chicago Loop Alliance's past activations of public space in the Loop include The Gateway, a recently-unveiled placemaking experiment on the State Street median south of Wacker Drive, and Pop-Up Art Loop, a year-round program that draws attention to available retail storefronts through vibrant temporary art galleries open to the public.

Float artist Noah MacMillan, who has prior experience creating works for civic entities, mixes often surreal concepts with a visually bold style influenced by printmaking, street art and vintage illustration. Merging ink drawing and printing techniques with digital tools, his work has been featured in Smithsonian Magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek and the Washington Post, as well as on book covers, posters, T-shirts and skateboard decks.

"Noah was charged with the task of coming up with a work that addresses the relationship between people and the government," said CLA Program Manager and Curator Tristan Hummel. "His idea is brilliant. A parade is a city alive, intrinsically tied to order and governance yet strangely unfettered by that container. This relationship between the city and creativity posed the perfect symbol for our project with GSA."

The Century Building at 202 S. State Street was designed by the noted Chicago Architectural firm of Holabird and Roche. It is historically unique for two important reasons. The distinct vertical expression of the exterior elevations of this building and others by the firm, notably the North American Building, portends the transition from the Chicago School buildings of the late 19th Century to the Art Deco of the 1920s. Additionally, the overall design of the facade ornament appears to be based on a style, not common in Chicago, known as Manueline and Neo-manueline, which features a proliferation of complex ornament around building openings. The buildings unique appearance contributes to the diversity of the architectural environment within the Chicago Loop.

Chicago Loop Alliance is a member-based business organization that represents Chicago's most dynamic mixed-use district-the Loop-and advocates for the rapidly growing central business area. CLA is focused on promoting and uniting Loop businesses and organizations to support one another in creating a vibrant, flourishing Loop where people live, work and play. 

For more information, please visit www.chicagoloopalliance.com The Chicago Loop Alliance Foundation is a nonprofit corporation that develops, supports and promotes artistic, cultural and public events that benefit businesses, individuals and stakeholders within in the service area of Chicago Loop Alliance.

Making a Parade Float is a Labor of Fun

For excited onlookers lining Main Street, the annual Fourth of July parade in Edgartown began at 5 pm at the Edgartown School. But for the scores of community members involved in making the many floats, preparation began long before the parade kicked off.

 As they waited for the procession to begin, representatives of four organizations spoke to the Times about what it took to bring the extravagant floats to life. For some, it's all about the history, or the tradition. For others, it's all about the kids.

Jessica Zoob — Edgartown Yacht Club

"We've been doing this every year since the parade came around. This year, it took about two activity nights to complete. The kids drew all the banners surrounding the trailer. The boat is an Optimus Pram, one of our fleet — it's what the kids learn to race on. Rob Donahue, head of the junior sailing committee, is driving us in the Yacht Club truck. We have about 14 kids participating, and we're trying to fit them all in the truck."

Sidney Morris — FARM Institute

"We started on Monday. The kids helped for a couple hours every day, as you can see they did all of the painting. We didn't spend anything on materials; everything we used was something we had at the farm. We've been doing this for about ten years, ever since the FARM Institute started. Driving here we got passed by a lot of cars going fast. But we also got a lot of encouraging honks and waves...I think we're the only float that has goats. We'll be pulling the float with our John Deere, because it wouldn't be a farm without a tractor."

Corrigan Mello — Harbor View Hotel

"It's made out of wood, blood, sweat, and tears. The inspiration for the railroad car is the dawn of tourism. We built a replica of the old cars that used to connect O.B. to Katama. The Harborview Hotel was built in 1891, about when the railroad started, and it helped the Harborview become sort of an icon of the Vineyard. We built this in December for the Christmas parade and we're reusing it again with some new decoration."

Pamela Thomas — M.V. Youth Hockey

"We've been doing the parade for five years now with this group, but Youth Hockey has been doing it for years. We're just putting it all together now, as you can see. I designed it...if you can call it a design. The firecrackers we made a couple years ago but we put new duct tape and garland on them. The hockey player cutouts and the hockey sticks are all new this year. This year was fast — it took probably eight or ten hours. The program loves it, and for the young kids that are just getting into hockey these are memories they will have forever. They will get older and say, 'Remember the Fourth of July when we rode in the float?' So that's what its about, it's a lot of fun. Mostly we see the youngest kids come out. The owner of Bruno's, Greg Carroll, is driving us in the Bruno's truck today. His family has been involved in the program for a long time and he makes this stuff happen. He dropped it off last night and got the float going early this morning. It's the kind of attitude that is both instrumental with the float and with the program."

Kingfield Festival Days back in town

The Kingfield Festival Days returns with its eclectic mix of parades, flotillas and fun this month, after a new group of organizers stepped in to prevent the three-day event from being canceled.

Near the end of May it appeared the festival, first held in 1976, might not happen this year, due to the level of participation in previous years and a lack of interest amidst organizers. Residents Emily Hatfield and Danielle Mathieu stepped in, however, and began planning the weekend's events.

"We just wanted a parade," Hatfield said Thursday with a laugh. From there the effort grew, she said, until Hatfield, Mathieu and others had reorganized all of the festival's signature events: the "Whatever Floats Your Boat" water parade, the crowning of Mrs. Kingfield, live music, carnival games and food vendors.

Admittance to everything is free, something Hatfield said was an important carry-over from previous years. They've also added new events, including a movie night in the park on Friday, July 19, a caricature artist working out of the Schoolhouse Gallery on Saturday, July 20, and G-Force Laser Tag in the town park later that evening.

As always, the festival's crowning event will be the Grand Parade on July 20 at noon. The always-creative and occasionally-outlandish parade floats will be based on the theme "Only In Maine...."

"We like to throw a great party," Hatfield said of Kingfield.

A complete schedule of events can be found here, beginning with Thursday, July 18.

6 - 8 p.m. - Cribbage Tournament at the Herbert Hotel. Sponsored by Chris Rushton.

On Friday, July 19, events run from 8 a.m. past midnight.

8 a.m. - 5 p.m. - Western Maine's Pharmacy will be collecting unused medication on Main Street.

9 a.m. - 5 p.m. - The Ski Museum of Maine will be open on Main Street.

9 a.m. - noon - Amateur Photo Contest. Drop off all entries at the Grand Central Station. Categories include: People, still life, landscape, animals and "only in Kingfield." Photos must be 5x7 or 8x10 in size and matted on construction paper or matte paper. They may be 35mm or digital, and digital photos may no be doctored. Judging will take place at 12:30 p.m. on Friday. Sponsored by the Orange Cat Cafe.

9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Flower/Plant Contest. Drop off entries at the Herbert Hotel between 9 a.m. and noon. Categories include: Field and wildflower arrangement, garden-cut flower arrangement, house potted plant, miniatures and plants submitted by children under 12. Judging will take place at 1:30 p.m. on Friday. Sponsored by Carrabassett Coffee.

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - 'Stitches in the Snow' Quilt and Flower Show at the Baptist Church on High Street.

1 - 4 p.m. - Stanley Museum Open. Free admittance, donations appreciated. Located on School Street.

1 - 4 p.m. - Kingfield Historical Society Open House. Working forge open. Located on High Street.

3 - 5:30 p.m. - Carnival Games and Kids' Activities, under the tent. Sponsored by Tranten's Too. Also, registration for the Bikes, Trikes & Wagons Parade, the Doll and Carriage Parade, and the Pet Parade, all of which take place Saturday morning.

4 p.m. - New Portland Fireman's Food Wagon will be serving on Depot Street.

4:30 - 6:30 p.m. - Pork Dinner to benefit the Flag Program of Kingfield. Located at the parking lot of Grand Central Station.

6 - 6:30 p.m. - Crowning of Mrs. Kingfield, under the tent. Sponsored by ARC Welding.

6:30 - 7 p.m. - Ice Cream Social with Mrs. Kingfield, under the tent. Sponsored by Anni's Market.

7:30 p.m. - Flag Burning Ceremony, conducted by the Norton-Wouri American Legion Post of Kingfield. The event will take place at the monument on Depot Street.

7:45 - 10 p.m. - Live Music under the tent, teen dance (must be at least 12 years old to attend). Sponsored by Nostalgia Tavern.

8 p.m. - Movie Night at the Park. Bring blankets and snacks. All ages welcome, parental supervision required. Located at the town park. Organized by the Kingfield Recreation Department.

9 p.m. - 1 a.m. - 'Dreamin' Big' DJ/Karaoke at the Nostalgia Tavern.

On Saturday, July 20, events run from 8 a.m. past midnight, including the Grand Parade.

8 a.m. - noon - Happy Kingfield Days! from Jordan Lumber. Free hot dogs and sodas, while they last!

9 - 10:30 a.m. - Kids' Parade, under the tent, including: the Bikes, Trikes & Wagons Parade from 9 - 9:30 a.m., the Doll and Carriage Parade from 9:30 until 10 a.m. Sponsored by Ruth White, and the Pet Parade, from 10 - 10:30 a.m.

9 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Kingfield Historical Society "Grandma's Attic" Yard Sale, open house and working forge.

9 a.m. - 4 p.m. - United Methodist Church Rummage Sale on Church Street, with a luncheon held from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

9 a.m. - noon - Horse-drawn wagon rides with Kenric Charles, beginning at the Grand Central Station parking lot.Sponsored by Jordan Lumber.

9 a.m. - 5 p.m. - The Ski Museum of Maine is open on Main Street.

10 a.m. - 5 p.m. - Pony rides and a petting zoo at the Kingfield town park.

10 a.m. - 5 p.m. - Food vendors on Depot Street.

10 a.m. - Mud football games all day. No admission fee, donations welcome to benefit local charities and scholarships. Taking place on the West Kingfield Road, 1.7 miles to the left.

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Kingfield Days' Artisan Fair.

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Bounce House on Depot Street. Sponsored by the Western Mountain Baptist Church.

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Kids' 'Splash and Dash' cooling tent located at CSM Real Estate on Main Street.

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - 'Stitches in the Snow' Quilt and Flower Show at the Baptist Church on High Street.

10 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Webster Library Book Sale. Located at the house behind the library on School Street.

The 2013 Kingfield Festival Days Parade will begins at noon at the north entrance to the Narrow Gauge Park. Registration begins at 10 a.m., with prizes awarded at 2 p.m. under the tent.

1 - 4 p.m. - Caricatures by James. $9 per drawing located at the Schoolhouse Gallery porch.

1 - 4 p.m. - Stanley Museum open with free admittance. Donations are appreciated. Located on School Street.

2 p.m. - Awards for the Grand Parade, under the tent.

2 p.m. - Rides on a fire truck, by the Kingfield Fire Department. Located at the former Knapp's Store.

2 - 6 p.m. -  G-Force Laser Tag at the town park. All ages welcome!

2:15 - 3 p.m. - Pudding eating contest, under the tent. Sponsored by the Woodsman Restaurant.

3 p.m. - "Whatever Floats Your Boat" water parade. Begins at the Lord's Bridge and ends at the Centennial Bridge dam. Prizes awarded! Sponsored by ARC Welding.

4 - 5:30 p.m - "So You Think You Can Dance?" Contest, under the tent. Come show us your moves! Prizes will be awarded. Sponsored by Longfellow's Restaurant and One Stanley Avenue Restaurant.

9 p.m. - 1 a.m. - 'Dreamin' Big' DJ/Karaoke at the Nostalgia Tavern.

On Sunday, July 21, events include races, mud football and a Chowdah cook-off.

7:30 a.m. - 3rd annual Kingfield Days' 5K Run/Walk and Kids 1-mile run. Register at Jordan Lumber Parking Lot. Pre-registration fee is $10 by July 19; $15 registration on day of race. Walkers start at 7:55 a.m., runners start at 8:20 a.m., and children start at 9 a.m. Please be 15 minutes early to your race. For more information or to pre-register, contact Jodi Badershall at 491-4269.

9 a.m. - noon - Yard sale to benefit the Franklin County Animal Shelter, under the tent.

9 a.m. - 5 p.m. - The Ski Museum of Maine will be open.

9 a.m. - 4 p.m. - Kingfield Historical Society open house.

10 a.m. - No admission fee, donations welcome to benefit local charities and scholarships. Taking place on the West Kingfield Road, 1.7 miles to the left.

11 a.m. - Methodist Church Service, on High Street.

1 p.m. - 2 p.m. - Skillet Throwing Contest at the Kingfield Woodsman Restaurant. Prizes awarded. Sponsored by ARC Welding.

1 p.m. - 4 p.m. - Stanley Museum Open. Free admittance, donations are appreciated. Located on School Street.

2 p.m. - Annual Kingfield Days' Cook-off: Best 'Chowdah' Recipe at the Kingfield Woodsman Restaurant. Bring your favorite "chowdah" to share and be judged! (Corn, clam, fish, cheeseburger... all are welcome!) Please bring all entries piping hot and ready to serve, arriving by 1:50 p.m. to register. Sponsored by Tranten's.

For details, click here.

Float Parade at Doddington Carnival

The crowds were out in force for Doddington Carnival Parade celebrations on Saturday, when the whole village seemed to be out in the sunshine to join in the fun.

As the theme of the day was characters from children’s books, Peppa Pig, Harry Potter and a variety of fairy tale characters took to the streets for the colourful float parade, before the crowds enjoyed a packed afternoon of activities at the recreation ground.

Anna Holland from the carnival committee said: “We had a fantastic day, with a brilliant turn out. Doddington really did us proud, with spectators lining the parade route and then coming to the field for the afternoon.”

The day kicked off with a fancy dress competition and float judging, and the parade was led by the Caledonian Pipe Band and the carnival prince and princess, Nicholas Lambert and Sophie Gillett.

As well as the decorated floats, the parade included tractors and a traction engine, historic military vehicles, classic buses and cars, music from the Steel Drum Siesta and Bondy, and the Dance and Twirl Dance Troupe.

At the recreation field there were children and adult races, along with the popular soap box derby, stalls, side shows, a bungee run, and teas provided by the Women’s Institute.

This year’s scarecrow competition - also with the theme of childrens’ book characters - attracted 12 entries.

Results: Floats: senior winner, The Fursty Friends; runner up, Mad Mums & Chums; junior winner, Lionel Walden School, runner up, Doddington Cubs, Beavers and Scouts.

Fancy Dress: adult winner, The Umpa Lumpa’s; adult runner up, Tara Fiveash; senior winner, Alex Buxton; senior runner up, Ellea Cutteridge; junior winner, Tommie Grange, junior runner up, Dani Kingston.

Scarecrow winner, the Duncan- Finn Family; soap box race, 1 Adam Woolfall, 2 Josh Weatherill, 3 Callum Manze.

Boys’ race winners, under 4s, Aiden Norris; 4-5 years Ben Buxton; 6-7 years Finley Paul; 8-9 years William Paul; 10-11 years George Paul; 12-13 years Ross Groves; 14-16 years Archie Palmer; junior marathon George Paul; senior marathon Ryan Price; Curtis Achievement Cup Tony Kilby; dad’s race Richard Moye.

Girls’ race winners: under 4s Annabelle Patching; 4-5 years Kacey Dring; 6-7 years Kaitlin Holland; 8-9 years Abbie Stocker; 10-11 years Abigail Moreman; 12-13 years Genevieve Tibbett; 14-16 years Danielle Hope; junior marathon Megan Dawson; senior marathon, Megan Roberts; mum’s race, Bridgett Patching.

July 4th Parade Keeps Small-town Traditions Alive

                                      

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In Westchester and Playa del Rey, residents have been gluing and hammering for weeks, getting ready for today.

They've built Mardi Gras style floats to roll down main street in a traditional Small Town, USA July Fourth parade. It's a relatively recent tradition - about 14 years - but the competition among neighbors is fierce.

Elaborate -- and clandestine -- float building has carried on in backyards, school gyms and private parking lots for the past month.

"The fire dept does it, the police dept, boy scouts, Knights of Columbus, all the schools," said Dan Garr, who's a local ace at conceiving and building the 6-foot plus size floats out of wood, cardboard and paper tissue.

His creations have won the Westchester July 4 parade the last 3 years in a row. He thinks he has another winner this year. The theme is environmental: Red White and Blue goes Green.

"What we did is use the bald eagle for the red white and blue, and in its talons is a giant bag of seeds," Garr said. That's the green part. "It says US SEEDS which are being planted and its flowing out behind him."

Kids and parents spent last weekend putting the final touches on the Bald Eagle float in their school parking lot. India, 7, thinks the design is a shoe-in.

"The eagle looks cool and he looks like he might fly away while we’re doing the float," she said.

Gwen Buchass, who founded the parade in 2000 when she was President of the Playa del Rey Chamber of Commerce, said the competition is limited to 50 floats.  Otherwise, the parade would go too long.

Judges will pick three winners before the parade starts: best float, best theme and honorable mention. The prize? Bragging rights, team photo in the local newspaper, and, yes, a trophy for the mantle.

Plymouth Celebrates 250th Anniversary Parade

If you have happened to be in downtown Plymouth recently, you may have noticed that the yellow center lines along Main Street have changed in color to red, white, and blue, and you may also have noticed decorative red, white, and blue bunting hanging from windows at the Town Hall and other places in town. In case you are wondering what’s going on, the town is gearing up for a huge 250th anniversary celebration in July, featuring a parade, music, demonstrations, museum tours, games, barbecues and other refreshments, cake, and fireworks.

It was 250 years ago (that’s a quarter of a millennium!) that the Town of Plymouth, along with 12 other New Hampshire towns, received a charter from Governor Benning Wentworth, quickly settled, and incorporated in 1763, just after the end of the French and Indian War. According to Plymouth’s town website, Governor Wentworth apparently was interested in settling some of New Hampshire’s growing population into the newly opened territories along the river valleys (the Merrimack, Pemigewasset, and Connecticut), expanding the colony’s land holdings and strengthening New Hampshire’s western border against the rival colony of New York, and settlers were just as eager to move into the region to claim inexpensive land.

To quote from the website, “To this day, the 1760s still marks the decade of highest growth in New Hampshire history.” Following the end of the French and Indian War, the dangerous frontier area that would become Plymouth quickly saw an influx of settlers from around the Hollis area and Plymouth grew so fast that it received its charter and it was incorporated on the same day: July 15, 1763.

In recognition of this landmark quarter-millennium (also known as sestercentennial or a semiquincentennial) anniversary, Plymouth has been “Marking the Moment” all this year with various special activities. The highlight of this 250th anniversary celebration will be the big birthday bash on July 17-21.

To kick off the festivities, the town will hold a “Summerfest” event on Wednesday, July 17, on the lawn of Mary Lyon Hall at Plymouth State University from 5 to 8:30 p.m. The event is free, with activities ranging from a barbecue and dessert to games and a concert by Annie and the Orphans.

On Friday, July 19, festivities continue with an opening reception for the “Views of Plymouth” exhibit at Plymouth State’s Karl Drerup Gallery on Main Street, running from 4 to 6 p.m. That will be followed by a barn dance at the Plymouth Senior Center on Green Street, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The Plymouth Rotary Club will be holding a social event at the Common Man Inn beginning at 7 p.m.

On Saturday, July 20, the schedule includes a full day of special events, starting with a pancake breakfast on the lawn of the Plymouth Congregational Church.

“The Big Anniversary Parade” which will feature a variety of floats, marching bands, color guards, antique cars, bicycles, and animals, will start at 10 a.m., leaving from the Plymouth State Field House on Route 175A and heading around the town common on Main Street before finishing up at Rite Aid on South Main Street.

“The really interesting thing about this parade is that it will be formed in the order of antiquity,” says 250th Anniversary Chair Steve Rand. “The parade will start with the oldest group associated with Plymouth, the Native Americans, which will then be followed by newer groups and modern organizations. We’re expecting it to be a pretty huge and exciting parade.”

After the parade, several local, state, and county politicians will read statements and proclamations on the steps of the Town Hall at 11:30. Starting at noon, there will be fun fairs in three locations around Plymouth for attendees to enjoy, all featuring food, games, demonstrations, and exhibits. From noon to 5 p.m., Main Street and the Plymouth Common will have games and activities sponsored by the Bridge House, with food supplied by the Common Man.

Down along the river near the Plymouth Senior Center on Green Street, several Plymouth vendors whose businesses are located outside the Main Street area will be set up, while there will be live music at the Rotary Amphitheater and box lunches at the senior center. The Hobo Railroad will provide train rides every 45 minutes from noon to 2:45 p.m., traveling from the senior center to the Common Man Inn where there will be a stop for ice cream at Frosty Scoops.

At Miss Keniston’s Field on Thurlow Street, children will be able to participate in Colonial Field Games from noon to 5 p.m., and there will be live music, traditional craft demonstrations, and a barbecue by the Plymouth Lions Club. Vintage cars, trucks, and tractors will be on display and there will be agricultural and forestry displays as well.

Free shuttles will run between the downtown area and Keniston Field during the afternoon.

On Saturday evening, the Plymouth Congregational Church will offer cultural performances starting at 7:30 p.m., with music, poetry, and short dramas.

On Sunday, festivities start to wind down. At 10 a.m., there will be a guided historical walk of downtown Plymouth. From noon to 3 p.m., people will be able to take a self-guided museum walk to four downtown museums, including the Drerup Gallery on the first floor of the Draper and Maynard building, the D&M Exhibit on the 4th floor of the building, the Plymouth Historical Society Museum near the Plymouth Town Hall, and the new Museum of the White Mountains on Highland Street. The university also will allow free ice skating at the Plymouth State Ice Arena from 1 to 3 p.m., and from 1 to 4 p.m., there will be a free historic house tour. (Guide booklets are available at the Historical Society Museum.)

From 7 to 8 p.m., the Pemigewasset Choral Society will present a concert at the Riverfront Rotary Amphitheater; and at 8:15, the 250th Anniversary Committee will serve a Community Birthday Cake.

The 250th anniversary festivities conclude at 9 p.m. with a fireworks display at the Riverfront.

For more information, see www.plymouth250.org

Annual parade attracts large crowd, patriotic floats

Residents of the borough and surrounding townships lined High Street to watch the annual Fourth of July Pottstown parade Thursday morning. Spectators brought blankets, folding chairs and anything red, white or blue they could find.

Little girls wore red gingham dresses and had ribbons in their hair while boys showed their pride with Captain America logo T-shirts.

When the first group of parade participants made it to the intersection of High and Evans streets shortly after 10:30 a.m., the crowd began to cheer.

“I love getting out early with my kids and my family and watching the parade,” said Dan O’Brien of Pottstown, who was at the parade with his daughter and son. “My kids like to cheer for the soldiers and my daughter is afraid of the fire trucks, but they like the candy that is thrown out.”

His daughter, Sarah, 4, whispered in her dad’s ear all her favorite things about the parade. She told her dad that she liked being with her grandmother and seeing the bikes.

Brendan O’Brien said he really liked getting candy.

A last-minute addition to the parade this year was a float that went down the route twice. The float boasted the most patriotic beer, called the Declaration Nation Ale.

“Brew Dogs,” a new reality series that will start in the fall, showcases brewers around the country that are taking brewing beer to the extreme. During the parade, Scottish hosts Martin Dickie and James Watt were on a float brewing beer while the process was being documented for the series.

A Scottish flag and an American flag hung side-by-side as the float rolled down High Street.

According to an interview given to the Mercury last week, Steve Stockman, an executive producer of the new show said, ““We have digitally encoded the preamble to the Declaration of Independence onto a large number of strands of DNA in the yeast that we will be using to make the beer.”

In the same interview, Stockman said one batch will have approximately 328 million copies of the Declaration’s preamble.

Police cars representing the area departments signaled the start of the parade. When the sirens would sound periodically, the smallest spectators cheered and screamed in delight.

Fire police volunteered their time in order to make the parade happen from North Coventry, West End, Upper Pottsgrove, Ringing Hill and Pottstown companies.

Spectators stood and some saluted as the American flag was held high over the parade route by a color guard that followed the police cars.

From boy scouts on bicycles to baseball teams, community groups were one of the largest participants in the parade.

There were dancers from local studios, a Zumba class and the Pottstown Royal Derby teams.

The only marching band this year was the Boyertown Alumni Marching Band. Band members played patriotic songs and classics while they walked down High Street. The alumni color guard, flag squad and twirling corps performed routines for the crowd.

Meaghan Wright and her son Timothy, 8, were sitting in the shade past the intersection of High and Hanover streets enjoying the parade.

Timothy couldn’t decide what his favorite part of the parade was, but his mom said she liked the Steam Calliope.

“It’s old time, classic, parade stuff,” she said. The Steam Calliope was the caboose in the parade this year. It rolled down High Street blasting steam and sound from the float.

Wright said she and her son have come to the parade a few times in the past and try to stay in the shade.

“It’s real old-time America and full of tradition,” she said about the Pottstown parade.

Happy July 4th!

Join Us For The 2014 Rosebowl Parade!

Talk about parades! Join us  to experience the spectacular 125th Anniversary of the most widely-viewed parade on Earth, the Rose Parade. 

Held annually in Pasadena, California on January 1st (unless it is a Sunday), the Rose Parade attracts 1 million spectators to the parade itself, with tens of millions more watching from around the globe. Cartan Tours offers two unique, 4 night packages from December 29, 2013 to January 2, 2014. 

Each tour includes hotel accommodations, daily breakfast, a trip to the float construction barns, an L.A. city tour, and reserved grandstand seating at the Rose Parade. You can also attend the post-parade viewing of the floats or the 100th celebration of the Rose Bowl Game (these options do sell out, so book early.) 

After your Rose Parade tour, you can continue your California vacation with the choice of a one-day, private train excursion to Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo; or consider a 4 night extension to San Diego in the south or Wine Country in the north. Either of these options would be a great way to top off your Rose Parade experience!

For details, click here!

Longmont to launch fireworks Thursday

Cindi Abkes puts the finishing touches on the Town of Firestone s
Fourth of July parade float in the town s public works garage Saturday. 

After a lull in fireworks last summer prompted by dry conditions and area wildfires, locals will finally get the chance to see last year's show.

The city of Longmont was among several cities in the area that canceled their show during the heat wave in 2012 but rather than charging the city for the cancellation, the company that provided the fireworks put the show on hold until this year.

"They could have taken 50 percent of the budget for show per the contract, but instead they said 'Let's just delay the show for another year,' so they just charged us a couple grand for what they had in the show and saved us some money," said Mike Selan, Longmont's hazardous materials inspector. "So people will get to see last year's show this year."

If you go

What: Longmont fireworks show

When: 9:30 p.m. Thursday

Where: Boulder County Fairgrounds, 9595 Nelson Road

Viewing: Best within a mile of the fairgrounds

For more: http://bit.ly/12vyA2C

The $15,000 donation was returned to the Skyline Kiwanis Club last year when the show was canceled, but the club donated again this year, according to city officials.

This year's show is expected to go off without a hitch based on weather reports, city officials said Friday.

Fireworks will begin at about 9:30 p.m. at the Boulder County Fairgrounds and last for about 30 minutes. Information about the show, including parking and viewing information, can be found on the city's website, ci.longmont.co.us.

The Longmont Symphony Orchestra will perform its annual July 4 concert at Thompson Park, Fourth Avenue and Bross Street, on Thursday, beginning with a performance from the Longmont Youth Symphony at 11:45 a.m.

Boulder

Boulder's annual fireworks show will also resume this year at Folsom Field on the University of Colorado campus. Gates open at 8 p.m. Thursday. Visit boulder4thofjuly.com for more.

Gold Hill Fire Department's Fourth of July Pancake Breakfast will be held at Gold Hill Elementary from 8:30 to 11 a.m. followed by the parade at noon.

Carbon Valley

Firestone's annual Fourth of July festival in Miners Park continues to grow, with 92 vendors signed up to participate this year, said Kristi Ritter, spokeswoman for the town of Firestone.

Free activities will be held at the park from about 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, including a parade, a classic car show, a carnival and  a fireworks show that will begin at about 9 p.m., she said. Visit ci.firestone.co.us for more information.

Firestone's Fourth of July float waits in the town s public works garage for
Thursday' s parade, which is scheduled to step off at 10 a.m. 

Erie

Erie will host the July Third Extravaganza & Fireworks Display from 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday at Colorado National Golf Club. Activities include live music, children's games, food and drink vendors and fireworks beginning at dusk. Visit erieco.gov for more information.

Estes Park

The Independence Day celebration "Red, White and Cool" will be held from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday at the Fairgrounds at Stanley Park. A fireworks show over Lake Estes will begin at 9 p.m. Visit visitestespark.com for more info.

Lafayette

The Fourth of July Celebration at Waneka Lake will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday in Lafayette, featuring children's activities, live music and a pie-eating contest. Fireworks will begin at dusk. Visit lafayettecolorado.com for more information.

Louisville

Festivities in Louisville will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday at Coal Creek Golf Course. Food and activities will be held at the course until fireworks begin about 9:15 p.m. Visit louisvilleco.gov for more information.

Niwot

Niwot's celebration begins at 7:30 a.m. Thursday with a pancake breakfast and continues with a decorate-your-bike event at 8:30 a.m. and a parade that at 10 a.m. at Cottonwood Square. Visit niwot.com for more information.