Andy Close
WARREN, Pa. – The Warren Fourth of July parade on Monday marked the culmination of a weekend-long celebration.
Floats, firetrucks princesses, and more filled the parade route, while candy was thrown out to the children.
To see that, as well as the street lined with people up and down Pennsylvania put a smile on the face of Fourth of July Organization Chairman Bill Thompson’s face.
“We had a lot of new things this year,” Thompson said. “We have cement truck, probably two or three cement trucks, which is something different.
“We have the Shriners also. They’re doing another Temple function. We’ve done the Shriners before, but they asked to come back.”
There is the pageantry of the parade, of course, but for Thompson, it’s about so much more than that.
It’s about pride in community, pride in country, and seeing everyone come together on what was a picture-perfect day as far as the weather was concerned, with sunny skies and comfortable temperatures.
“That’s the enjoyment I get out of it,” Thompson said. “To see the reaction of the people coming out for it. I get huge satisfaction from that. I want to keep it going. It’s something very important to this city, something very important to this county to do the Fourth of July celebration.”
And Monday’s parade was remarked on by several in attendance as the largest turnout they had seen in quite some time.
It’s been a staple of the community for a long time, and one Thompson hopes will keep thriving in the years to come.
“It’s been a big part of the community for 74 years,” Thompson said. “So I feel a sense of gratitude to keep it going. I was asked probably ten years ago, sometime around there, to take this on. It’s very important that we keep it gong.”
