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In wake of Select Board decision, organizers to hold virtual Horribles Parade

PHOTO/JOHN CARDILLO

Horribles Parade organizers revealed plans to move forward with a virtual event on July 4 after deciding against private insurance coverage for a live parade.

In an interview with the Independent on Thursday, organizer Ken Weismantel explained the concept, while noting that the details still were being finalized.

“What we are thinking about doing is going virtual,” he explained. “The theme will be the same one we planned to use for the parade, which is, ‘Get Involved.’ ”

An online file will be created for submissions of pictures of costumes or float concepts, which will be due by July 3 so they can be screened for content. As with the traditional parade, Weismantel said there will be no hate speech or obscenities allowed. The pictures will be combined into a PowerPoint presentation that will be viewable online at noon on Independence Day.

Weismantel hopes a voting method could be implemented to allow viewers to choose a winning picture.

“People will be able to flip through them and pick their favorites,” he said.

He jokingly added that there will be no danger of water balloon throwing in this format. Water balloons and hoses had caused injuries and property damage during previous Horribles Parades.

While the Horribles Parade has been a Hopkinton tradition for more than a century, it has been viewed in a more controversial light over the past couple of years. It originally had been organized by Dan McIntyre and his family for decades, but participation dwindled in the years leading up to the pandemic. After a hiatus, the Hopkinton Republican Town Committee (of which Weismantel is a member) took over as the organizer.

Last year, the HRTC went before the Parks & Recreation Commission and ultimately the Select Board, where its permit was approved unanimously. Sponsorship by the Parks & Recreation Commission allowed the parade to be covered under the town’s insurance policy.

Concerns were raised at that time and about the parade’s focus on satire. Tongue-in-cheek floats related to recent political events traditionally were created. Because of divisive events in town over the past few years, some residents urged the board to consider a more traditional July Fourth parade celebrating the nation’s independence. Amy Groves, the chair of the Hopkinton Democratic Town Committee, said last year that the HDTC was not invited to participate as a cosponsor, making the event appear to be partisan in nature.

This year, similar issues about the parade’s focus were brought before the Select Board. While the board voted unanimously to approve the parade permit, it was split 3-2 against providing insurance coverage. While chair Joe Clark emphasized the right to free speech and member Brian Herr focused on precedent, members voting against it noted that the RTC was seeking the board’s sponsorship without its input in a time of financial constraints.

Volunteer organizers determined it was not feasible to acquire private insurance, which prompted the decision to have an online display as a way to keep the tradition alive.

Hopkinton has been one of the few New England towns to hold on to the tradition of a Horribles Parade, a concept that began in the United States in the 1800s. Beverly and Gloucester are holding Horribles Parades on July 4, while Marshfield Hills will have one on Aug. 30.

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The town’s latest Main Street Corridor Project update details utility work to be completed by mid-July and additional landscaping approvals.

Starting on Tuesday, the Department of Public Works will begin construction on multiple roads that will continue throughout the month.

Terri Morris, 69, passed away on June 20. She was a former resident of Hopkinton.

The Big Chief Band is set to play the Hopkinton Center for the Arts on Saturday as part of the ongoing HCA Summer Concert Series.

Photo of the Day

Individuals protesting the federal government hold signs on East Main Street on Saturday.

PHOTO/JERRY SPAR