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Town committees collaborate on new July 4 parade

PHOTO/JOHN CARDILLO

A coalition of Hopkinton residents is working together to put on a July 4 parade this year that celebrates the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Representatives from the Veterans Celebration Committee, the Hopkinton Democratic Town Committee and Hopkinton Republican Town Committee have been working since last year on an Independence Day parade intended to replace the July 4 Horribles Parade. Early plans were shared with the Select Board in December, and the parade route was approved via consent agenda in April. At that meeting, VCC chair Mike Whalen said the parade was being designed to be “more positive and celebratory.”

This year’s parade begins at 11 a.m. on July 4 next to Center School. The route will proceed along Park Street, down Hayden Rowe Street to Hopkinton High School, down Grove Street and Pleasant Street to Main Street before returning to Ash Street. Following the parade, an awards ceremony will be held at Town Common.

Jim Mirabile, who represents the VCC on the parade’s organizing committee, highlighted two of the awards being offered to floats and groups who sign up to participate. The McIntyre Best Family Award — named in honor of the McIntyre family who kept the Horribles Parade running in town for decades — is the best in show category, Mirabile explained. He also encouraged homeowners who live on the parade route to decorate their homes so they can be considered for the Best Parade Route Decorations Award.

Any individual, group, organization, business, family or neighborhood from Hopkinton can participate. Those interested can sign up on the parade website. Everyone taking part is encouraged to dress up and decorate their floats based on the parade’s theme: “Hopkinton Celebrates America’s Birthday.”

“It’s the 250th,” said Mirabile. “how can you not celebrate that?”

Both Mirabile and HDTC chair Amy Groves reported that planning for the parade has been going well. “I think we have all been impressed by how much planning is required for a parade,” Groves stated in an email. “It is definitely an all-town effort.” Denise Antaki and Ann Click also are involved in the planning, with Antaki acting as an HRTC representative.

The collaboration between the three town committees represents an effort to overcome divisions in town over the Horribles Parade. While it was a tradition for more than a century, the Horribles Parade became a point of contention in recent years. Some had claimed the parade sowed divisions in town, while organizers maintained it was an opportunity for First Amendment expression.

The parade faltered last year due to issues with getting sponsorship from either the Parks & Recreation Commission or the Select Board. The HDTC and HRTC came together late last year to offer a collaborative solution instead.

Organizers are optimistic about the new July 4 parade and getting the community involved. “I feel great about it,” said Mirabile. “It ought to be a great event.”

— NICK SCHOFIELD

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Photo of the Day

Kayakers make their way through a narrow section of Lake Whitehall during a guided tour from the Hopkinton Trails Club on Sunday.

PHOTO/HOPKINTON TRAILS CLUB