As this year’s Fourth of July parade approached its grand finale at the Old Whaling Church on Main street in Edgartown, the faint whistling of fife and drum could be heard above the roar of the crowd, signaling the arrival of the parade’s leaders, the Island’s veterans, at their final stop.

In rows of khaki, these brave soldiers who carry the legacy and nature of our founding into our present stood at salute, looking up at their fearless leader, Fred B. (Ted) Morgan Jr., himself in uniform on this day of patriotism. The Bay State Band played tunes suitable for these honorees. It was a stirring reminder of the service many have given to preserve the freedom and independence we celebrated on this day.

It was clear that the patriotism, at this moment inspired by the highest ideals of service, had rippled through the crowd. Several spectators marched their feet in time to Anchors Aweigh, and a deafening roar of applause followed these marchers out of town.

This sense of history, and the legacy that connects Edgartown to the distinguished revolutionary history of our nation and Massachusetts, was responsible for the participation of many marchers.

Steve Boyleston, a member of the Massachusetts Navy Band, marched in the Edgartown parade for the first time this July Fourth. Outfitted with a powder horn depicting in scrimshaw the Siege of Boston dating back to Sept. 21, 1776, as well as full 18th-century garb, he described his experience in this historic parade as “unreal.”

“I felt exactly like people would have felt during the Revolutionary War. Everything in Edgartown is absolutely period, and these colonial houses were the perfect backdrop for this parade. As far as colonial America goes, it’s as good as you can get,” he said.

The spirit of this day — of service and of its history — was not lost on even the youngest of parade-goers. The four Goldberg sisters, along with their friends, ran the 4 Girls Lemonade stand on the steps of the county courthouse. Each year, they give all the money they make to charity, and this year, they picked Free the Children, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering youth through sustainable development in countries around the world.

All the girls were clad in white linen dresses, some spangled with the American flag across the front. Scarlet Goldberg, one of the founding sisters, said, “We make so much money, and we don’t keep a cent. But we’d be good businesswomen, and we give all the money to charity.”

Olympia Dreesman, who was helping the Goldbergs at their stand and came from Belgium to Martha’s Vineyard for the Fourth of July, said that the best part came later in the evening. “For the fireworks, we stay up late and get in cool outfits. We go crazy — we wear red, white and blue eyelashes and everything,” she said.

Like all the children at the parade, they were eager to snatch up the candy that rained down on the streets. Children passed by with bucketsful, crouching to pick up more, as their parents dragged them along, looking for a place to get a better view.

And there was much still left to see: Antique cars, dating from the beginning of the century through the 1960s, showed the evolution of the American automobile, a central fixture throughout our cultural history. Each passenger waved from their old-fashioned mobile, smiling at the crowds like seasoned experts.

The perennial favorite, Camp Jabberwocky, livened up the crowd with its drums and wild costumes, showering the crowd with both water gun blasts and broad smiles.

Rising Tide Equestrian Center had a gleaming silver horse emerging from a crashing wave atop its float, certainly a big hit with the crowd. Nagel Stone, a resident of Reading who has attended the parade for the past five years, said: “It was a little flimsy-looking, but it got the message across, and all that silver looked great.”

A float rolled by celebrating the 30th anniversary of Jaws, much of which was filmed in Edgartown. A shark’s head protruded from a model of the Amity Bank, garnering lots of cheers, as well as some gasps from those who aren’t convinced that the giant shark has left these waters.

Shortly behind the Jaws float was the Sutherland Pipe Band, bolstered in numbers by the Scottish Society of Martha’s Vineyard. The highland airs would have seemed perfectly in place had yesterday’s morning mist lingered. But, with the American flag flying everywhere the eye could see and the sun blazing in this New England coastal town, the tunes of the lochs and moors felt very foreign, although not out of step with the general spirit of the day.

Throughout the afternoon, hungry visitors paraded in and out of the gates to the Daniel Fisher House, emerging with towering baskets of French fries and slaking their thirst with Coca Colas, themselves an appropriate symbol of Americana on our foremost national holiday.

The smell of popcorn hung in the air near the entrance to Edgartown Books, while those looking for something sweeter leaned against the wall of the Bank of Martha’s Vineyard, each with an ice cream cone in hand.

But at the end of the day, after all the floats had passed, the candy consumed, and the tricolor paraphernalia discarded in the street, the patriotic sentiments lingered. Said Mr. Boyleston: “My family is all from Massachusetts, so I felt a patriotic need to be here.” Though his connection to the Revolutionary War might be diluted through the generations, the power of the day was apparent: “When we were marching up here to Main street, I looked up at the Old Whaling Church and it was awesome. I thought, this is the Fourth of July for sure.”

And as darkness fell over Edgartown, the explosion of patriotic pride on display in the parade was matched by the night’s fireworks. Glimmering on the water of Edgartown harbor, they marked a festive end to the day’s events, and a bright beginning to America’s 235th year.