The chairs of the town committees for both major political parties presented a united front to the board as they discussed pursuing an Independence Day parade focused on town pride.

Amy Groves, the Hopkinton Democratic Town Committee (HDTC) chair, joined Hopkinton Republican Town Committee (HRTC) chair Jim Mirabile in introducing the idea. Mirabile also serves as the vice chair of the Veterans Celebration Committee.

“What the HRTC wanted to do along with the HDTC was sort of take a step from a community perspective to show that two political parties can work together. It’s been a challenging time for the last few years. But I think at a local level, just reminding everybody that we’re neighbors, and there’s a lot of issues that we agree upon, and we wanted to see where we could work together.”

Added Mirabile: “The Horribles Parade is off the table. We’ve learned that we’re moving past that.”

Groves said the proposed parade would be sponsored by the Veterans Celebration Committee and both political organizations.

“We want to stress positive messaging,” she explained. “Happy birthday America. This is the 250th birthday, town spirit, that sort of thing. And we will have that in our advertising, and we’ll just set the tone for that. It will be open to everyone. … We want the whole town to be welcome at it.”

Groves mentioned possible prizes for floats. She said families, teams, organizations, businesses and town committees and officials would be welcome to participate. The town’s police and fire departments also would be invited.

While the parade would follow the previous Horribles Parade route, the start time might be moved up from noon to 11 a.m. to avoid a conflict with the Lake Maspenock boat parade, Groves added.

Because the Veterans Celebration Committee will be a cosponsor, Groves requested that the town consider covering the insurance and police detail. Also, a change would need to be made to this committee’s charge to allow it to become an annual sponsor. Thirdly, she suggested that Select Board members, the town clerk and the town moderator judge the floats and award the prizes at the gazebo at the parade’s conclusion.

Mirabile added that all three committees are “on board.”

“I think it’s really important to have a Fourth of July parade,” said chair Joe Clark. “I think it was something that was missing this summer, and I applaud both committees for working together, putting partisan stuff aside.”

Added vice chair Shahidul Mannan: “This is exemplary leadership for our town, and I hope our national leaders learn from it. This is great. I’m really hyped and excited, and it solves a near long-term debate that we have been having. [The price] is small change for the camaraderie and the sprit that is priceless. … I can’t wait to make it happen.”

Mirabile and Groves plan to submit a formal application to the board at a later date.