The Edgartown Fourth of July parade was a hometown celebration

Islanders and visitors came together to celebrate community and the nation’s birthday.

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Sara Rostas, visiting the Island from Boston, got in the spirit. — Carlo Javier

The Edgartown Fourth of July parade is quintessentially American. On Monday, people lined the downtown parade route — some comfortably seated on lawn chairs or blankets, there for the long haul. Here and there fathers carried daughters on their shoulders for a better view. Families celebrated in their front yards, playing beanbag toss and grilling food. The smell of hot dogs, popcorn, and cotton candy permeated the air.

Along the route, enterprising children tapped into the seasonal economy and set up lemonade stands. Miles Wolff of Edgartown had a stand near the Triangle in the center of town.

“It’s a cool event on the Island,” Miles said. “The community comes together, and I like all the cars and seeing the people in the parade. And it’s good for the businesses.”

Old trucks, classic cars, Volkswagen vans, Jeeps, and fire trucks cruised around downtown Edgartown. Children riding on parade floats tossed candy to other screaming children, who scrambled to grab incoming Tootsie Rolls.

Asked what her favorite part about the parade was, Sara Rostas, who was vacationing here from Boston, answered, “The candy.”

Ms. Rostas had two small American flags in her hair. She was not alone in the patriotic fashion department. Many parade spectators were dressed in their best red, white, and blue. The American flag blended into the landscape — hanging from houses, on people, or waving majestically in the air.

The mood was lighthearted as thousands of Islanders and visitors celebrated the Fourth of July. The Colonial Navy of Massachusetts, clad in red-and-white striped shirts, rolled by to the tune of “Yankee Doodle” as a man dressed in American Revolution fashion shot a musket. The parade imbued onlookers with a sense of pride, tapping into romantic notions of the spirit of America. Each passing band played patriotic songs that evoked nostalgia. Edgartown white clapboard houses draped in American flags added to the atmosphere.

“It’s a wonderful place to come for a celebration,” Zach Jay, who was visiting from Boston, said.

Leah Fraumeni came with her dog, Bauer, dressed as Uncle Sam.

“He’s the unofficial marshal of the parade,” Ms. Fraumeni said.