Annual Fourth Of July Parade Attracts Hundreds

by Steve Yablonski | July 2, 2017 10:59 pm

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.

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/oswego/annual-fourth-of-july-parade-attracts-hundreds/

---