The annual Edgartown parade is the centerpiece of the Fourth of July traditions around the Island. Helming the long-standing tradition once again is Joe Sollitto, who first marched in the parade in 1972, and is still involved in the festivities 54 years later.
He became the lead organizer over a decade ago, taking over the role from Ted Morgan.
The parade begins at 5 p.m. Saturday. Mr. Sollitto said the most important thing is getting all the participants moving on time. Once the traditional musket fires off, the collection of decorated floats starts traveling down the street.
“We call that the Morgan rule,” Mr. Sollitto said. “Lieut. Colonel Ted Morgan was a selectman for a long time in Edgartown...and that was his rule. It starts right at 5 o’clock for everyone. If you’re not ready, we just take off.”
People along the parade route set out chairs early in the morning to secure a good spot to see the parade. For many businesses, that means crowds of shoppers directly outside their doors.
Lauren Pagliccia, who has worked at Faherty since 2019, said the staff has been busy stocking up for the weekend.
“It’s so lively, and everybody is just excited to be back on the Island,” Ms. Pagliccia said. “It’s fun for Edgartown to have their own events, and it’s nice how each town does their own thing.”
Over at Edgartown Books, manager Mathew Tombers said although he loves the Edgartown parade, he wonders if the energy of July Fourth will be any different this year.
“It’s been vibrant, business has been healthy, but I think everybody kind of wonders what exactly is going to happen this year because it feels a little unsettled....There’s a lot of stuff happening out there in the world which could affect all of us.”
Though festivities in Edgartown attract many Islanders, Aquinnah and Oak Bluffs also host parades of their own.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Aquinnah parade, which organizer Corinne DiPietro described as “homegrown.” The tradition started back in 2001, she said, pioneered by families in the community who wanted to do something fun for the Fourth and “make a little noise” way up-Island.
Spontaneity gave the gathering its charm as residents of all ages marched around Aquinnah Circle banging pots and pans during the inaugural year. The procession ended at the beach, where children worked together to decode a map and dig up buried treasure.
“The grassroots beginning is what makes it special,” said Ms. DiPietro.
The Aquinnah parade begins at 10 a.m., with cars lining up behind town police cars and fire trucks. The best float in the parade will receive a trophy and a year’s worth of glory.
The Oak Bluffs Camp Ground hosts its annual children’s Fourth of July parade, beginning at 9 a.m. Kim Rielly, the Camp Ground’s general manager, described the parade as a community effort.
“We have a lot of really generous volunteers who take the lead on some of these annual events,” she said.
With faces painted red, white and blue, children in the parade will ride decorated bicycles and scooters toward the Tabernacle before looping around Trinity Circle.
“The kids are so proud to showcase their decorated bikes,” said Ms. Rielly. “It’s so fun.”
The Tabernacle in Oak Bluffs and the Edgartown Federated Church will both hold readings of Frederick Douglass’ 1852 speech, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?
The Edgartown Federated Church, where Mr. Douglass once spoke, invites community members to witness the reading of the address on Friday, July 3, beginning at 11 a.m. Church historian Elizabeth Villard helps organize the event and spoke to the relevance of Mr. Douglass’ speech today. Every year, she concludes the event by reading the last section of the address, which acknowledges America’s hardships and reinforces the existence of hope.
“I’ve always felt privileged to be involved in this,” she said.
Ms. Villard praised the commitment of long-time participants.
“We have 14 readers,” she said. “At least a third of those readers go all the way back.”
The Tabernacle hosts its Frederick Douglass reading on July 4, at 1 p.m., with live music starting at noon.
Agnes Pena-Rosen and Jason Rosen have spearheaded the event in Oak Bluffs for the last few years. Jason’s parents, Abigail and Tony McGrath, started the tradition in 2004.
The readings began as a casual gathering at Inkwell Beach — more or less a potluck get-together amongst people with a shared passion, Ms. Pena-Rosen said. Over the past 24 years, the event has grown, attracting new readers and finding a home at the Tabernacle.
Mr. Rosen stressed the importance of nurturing a tradition until it becomes something powerful.
“You make the community, and the community gets larger until you have a movement,” he said.
Ms. Pena-Rosen added that including younger generations is vital to keeping the tradition alive.
“We need people in every generation to have awareness,” she said. “To know that their voice matters and it counts, and that they should use it and raise it where they can.”
The Fourth of July events conclude back in Edgartown with the annual fireworks display over the harbor. The show starts at dusk, around 9 p.m.
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