Chairs lined up early
Mayor Barlow waves to the crowd
Who wants balloons?
The event brought out people’s best red, white and blue attire
A sign of the times
Some tossed a football around while waiting for the parade to start
At the start of the parade, the National Anthem was played
Members of Fort Ontario’s honor guard were dressed in World War I style
The Cruizers roll past the judge’s stand
The Towpath Volunteers Fife and Drum marching unit
OFD’s mascot waves to thecrowd
The Ogdensburg Free Academy Marching Blue Devils
Keeping her eye on her baton
The Elks offered a patriotic float
The Zonta Club invites everyone to its Witches’ Ball
The Crime Dog greets some youngsters
The Children’s Museum brought its own train
Down Beat Percussion was a crowd favorite
The Masonic Honor Guard
The Mexico Matadors performed for the crowd
A firefighter keeps the crowd cool with a refreshing spray of water
Members of the Oswego Town VFD greet youngsters in full turnout gear
Some race cars rolled by Sunday – a bit slower than they were going Saturday night at Oswego Speedway
Hannibal Volunteer Fire Department
Some of the Roller Girls roller derby team show off their rollerskating abilities (and in this case, confidence in their teammates).
Members of Edge Artistic Dance perform
The Island Band is always a crowd pleaser
Cast members of Grease give a taste of the upcoming musical
OSWEGO, NY – Families and friends packed both sides of Bridge Street for Oswego’s annual 4th of July Parade on Sunday.
Temperatures were comfortably in the 70s and a light breeze made it perfect to sit by the side of the road and watch the parade go by.
The parade came up West Bridge Street at 1 p.m. and headed east, passing large cheering crowds as it did so.
Many people have been attending the annual parade for years.
For some it is a tradition to arrive several hours before the parade and stake out their favorite spots using lawn furniture and blankets. There is an unwritten parade law that you don’t disturb a location someone has already claimed.
While Oswego had hosted many parades on different occasions, it was during 1964 that friends and fellow Jaycee members Bill Green and Bill Gregway decided that Oswego needed a bigger event than just a fireworks display to celebrate our nation’s birthday.
Thus the tradition of the Oswego Independence Day Parade was born.
The original parade had a budget of approximately $600 and started by Oswego Hospital, traveling east to Fort Ontario.
Through the years, the Jaycees and Jayncees evolved the parade to an increased route and a celebration that included a drum corps show, originally held at Fort Ontario, then later moved to Wilbur Field at Leighton Elementary School.
When the local Jaycees group disbanded, several local service organizations stepped in to keep the tradition alive and eventually the city of Oswego asked the local chamber of commerce to take over organizing the event.
This year, as they always have, representatives of Oswego Health’s Sun Patrol passed out sunscreen to help keep people safe in the sun.
Trucks, floats, and police cars were aplenty as well as a few marching bands and other musical acts, including a glimpse at the Oswego Players’ upcoming production of Grease.
Among the marching bands included: the pride of Oswego the Marching Buccaneers, the Marching Matadors from Mexico, the Blue Devils from Ogdensburg Free Academy, the Island Band and Down Beat Percussion.
Many groups threw candy to the crowd, which children dove after with gusto.
There were also several vendors walking up and down the street selling SnoCones, balloons and more to the crowd.
To ensure the crowd didn’t get overheated, members of various marching units sprayed people along the route with cool water.
The parade may have come to an end, but the celebration wasn’t over until the last fireworks display burst in the air Sunday evening.
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