A socially-distanced Fourth of July parade will take place in Aquinnah on Independence Day.
Barbecues, road races, and lobster rolls are on the agenda and parades are planned at both ends of the Island as the Vineyard welcomes one of the busiest days of the year. All eyes will turn to Edgartown tonight for the annual Fourth of July parade and fireworks.
It happened while we weren’t looking. Sometime after Memorial Day beautiful, sexy Summer sneaked up on gnarly old Winter and tackled him. Enough! Summer said. It’s my turn now.
On Saturday, for the tenth year in a row, a group of readers took turns reciting Frederick Douglass' speech The Meaning of the Fourth of July for the Negro. “It’s important for people to remember the impact of slavery because it’s not only a part of our history, but it’s a part of our present,” said Makani Themba, the organizer of the reading.
The Fourth of July weekend, off to a quiet start with festivities dampened by heavy rain and winds, was relatively quiet for police, but busy for the Steamship Authority. The weekend began with wind and rain associated with Hurricane Arthur.
The parade is a lesser known but well-loved Island tradition. At least 150 marchers and spectators turned out for the parade on Saturday, which marched down Old South Road and ended at Philbin Beach, where kids followed a treasure map and dug up a chest full of candy.
They rode on creatively crafted floats, walked, danced, rollerbladed and drove antique cars, trucks and bicycles. Children raced to collect candy hurled into the streets. Fire trucks sprayed water to cool down the crowd. And the Fourth of July celebration in Edgartown was declared a great success.
