Funky Fourth parade, lunch, concert, mark 250th Independence Day

GREENSBORO – Greensboro’s annual Funky Fourth Independence Day parade and celebration was held on a cloudless, low humidity July 4. Local weather expert Tyler Molleur and influencer Reverend Ed Sunday-Winter denied having persuaded Mother Nature to deliver it.

By 10 a.m., a crowd of more than 2,000 people lined the mile-long parade route from Country Club Road, down Breezy Avenue to the Greensboro Town Hall Green.

The singing suffragettes of the Ladies Walking Society led the parade. Close behind Dana Bascom’s Mustang convertible carried “Spaceman” Bill Lee with “Spacette” Diana Lee.

Representative Leanne Harple followed and was eventually delivered to the dunk tank in Tim Nisbet’s model A Ford.

The Michaud clan once again brought the crowd to its feet with their chorus line of old, new and classic tractors.

Highland Lodge’s crew served cups of Ishkabibble, earning the crowd’s highest culinary praise.

The Greensboro Fire Department barely beat out the Hardwick Emergency Squad and the Greensboro Road Crew for the noisiest fleet of vehicles.

Throughout the entire parade were interspersed antique cars and floats from many local organizations. Missing from the parade this year due other commitments were Bread & Puppet, the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile and the UCLA Marching Band, only the first of which had joined previously.

A free town picnic followed the parade with Smith’s Store bratwurst and hot dogs, veggie sandwiches and Kingdom Creamery ice cream, serving over 700 attendees. Entertaining the crowd during the picnic was the music of Blue-Sky Brothers plus the ice-water dunk tank with Boston Red Sox Pitcher Bill Lee serving as the pitching coach. Donations from the picnic plus the dessert auction raised more $1,500 for the Hardwick Area Food Pantry.

Highland Center for the Arts hosted the Funky Fourth grand finale after a buffet picnic supper. The Vermont Philharmonic Orchestra performed a free concert with a selection of American favorites, to an outdoor crowd estimated at 350 people.

After the parade and throughout the afternoon, Funky Fourth attendees were able to visit Greensboro Arts and Historical Society open houses, a library book sale and the United Church of Christ for a children’s treasure hunt.

The listeners first tapped, then clapped and finally sang along with the music to end Greensboro’s Independence Day festivities.