A patriotic march down Main Street

The buzz of excitement and loud chatter from thousands of attendees draped in red, white, and blue echoed throughout Edgartown on Saturday afternoon as the 182nd annual Fourth of July Parade, on the nation’s 250th birthday, marched its way along the town’s narrow streets. 

With a heat wave advisory from the National Weather Service, families and friends persevered through the high temperatures and humidity, lining the humming roads and waiting to see this year’s marchers. Carefully designed floats and colorful antique cars made their way through town alongside marchers on foot. Many participants threw candy to onlookers as they passed in a parade that has taken place in Edgartown for generations. 

The parade’s organizer, Joseph (“Joe”) Sollitto Jr., has held the role for the past 16 years, but has marched in it since 1972, and said that one of the most enjoyable parts of the tradition comes from the timelessness of it. 

“Nothing much has changed,” Sollitto said. “And I think that’s part of the pleasure of the parade that has been consistent in all the years that I’ve been associated with it.” 

Catie Reynal, who watched the parade, said she’s attended the parade for more than two decades, first as a college student and now as a mother. She echoed a similar sentiment to Sollitto’s. “I think there are some floats that are the same every year, and that’s what makes it special. We’ve got Camp Jabberwocky, which is one of our favorites, the Scottish bagpipes, and all the veterans. So the good things haven’t changed, and that’s what we look for,” she said. 

But one change did catch the eyes of many spectators this year, and that was the floats celebrating the country’s 250th birthday.

Camp Jabberwocky, a nonprofit camp for people with disabilities, has marched in the parade for more than half a century, and continues to be one of the most cherished spectacles of the event, spreading a message of equality and acceptance. “We are here on the Fourth of July, celebrating who we are, and … how much fun we can have,” Jabberwocky director Madeline Way said.

Another longtime parade participant is Pond View Farm, located in West Tisbury, which has decorated a float since 1993. To celebrate the 250th anniversary, this year’s float was inspired by Paul Revere’s midnight ride. It displayed a near-black cardboard horse nearly seven feet tall, mounted by a rider with a tall cardboard lantern; the float also featured a live miniature horse named Harry Potter, who has been featured in the parade for more than a decade. 

“This year, we reused parts of [last year’s float] and repainted it as a lantern, because we thought it would be great to have a historic reference that also had to do with horses, since it was the celebration of the 250th,” Sarah Doyle, owner of Pond View Farm, said.

Celebrating 250 years of the country made the annual celebration even more special to some attendees. Hans Van Lancker, who’s watched the parade with his wife Aileen and their three children for the past six years, said this year was a significant one. “I feel like when [the kids] get older, they’re going to look back and think fondly,” Van Lancker said. “Hopefully, we’ll still be coming here and doing the same thing with grandkids.” 

For the children who attend, the parade means one thing above all else — “Candy!” — at least according to 6-year-old Hugo Van Lancker. Every year, floats toss sweet treats to children and families who line Edgartown’s streets for the parade, and young Van Lancker was one of many hurrying to catch and collect the pieces. 

The parade also tackled some national issues and political protests, predominantly through the local No Kings movement. Marchers included the Vineyard branch of the national democratic organization called Indivisible; they displayed posters protesting actions of the current federal administration. 

Carla Cooper, one of the organizers for Indivisible Martha’s Vineyard, explained what inspired them to register for the parade: “We need to remind people of why they’re actually showing up to a Fourth of July parade. I think many people forget that we are celebrating the Declaration of Independence from a king,” she said. “We see our voting rights being undermined right now. We see voter oppression; we see scare tactics and fear-mongering, and these are tactics designed to put a bullet in our democracy. We think that it’s important to present and remind people that this is happening. And we’ll not silently watch our democracy disappear.” 

Cooper said that the group’s participation in the parade was mostly met with support, despite backlash from some spectators. “The responses were overwhelmingly supportive and positive, and people have shown their gratitude. People come up to us and high-five us, tell us thank you for doing this. And a handful of people along the route were booing, giving us the finger,” she said. 

Despite the negative response from some, Cooper maintained that the parade was a purpose-driven and joyful experience. And that nuance was present in the day as well, embodied primarily through the sweltering heat, and the hundreds who showed up under the hot sun anyway. From the smiling onlookers to the celebrated veterans, the parade was as vibrant as it was well-attended.

Sollitto served in the Marine Corps starting in 1965, and said that the parade gives veterans a stage in the community to be thanked: “As the parade went along, there were many people that were thanking all the veterans as they merged, which was very encouraging.”

A rising senior at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, Eliza Belle Carestia, said in her 17 years living on the Island, she’d never missed a single Fourth of July parade. She explained that the tradition is very special to her because it’s an opportunity for her to see familiar faces. “I always see family and friends that I don’t normally get to see because they don’t live here year-round, and I also like seeing the locals and people I know having a good time.”

Pat Krol and her husband Steve Chiumenti, from Chappaquiddick, have been attending the parade for more than 20 years with their family. Krol said that the “community feel” is what keeps them coming back each year to watch the parade. “It’s all about the community,” she said. “It’s the spirit of watching the people, seeing everybody so joyful. It’s like they’ve forgotten their worries from the world, and here we all are on the Fourth of July.”