It's too bad that David Tucker and his children have never actually stopped working long enough to watch the annual July 3 celebration.
"As a little kid, I'm sure that I was in a carriage or something like that," said Tucker, one of 10 parade committee volunteers. "I've always told people that I'll never quit. They'll take me out in a pine box, as my father would say."
From monitoring the behind-the-scenes action, finding bands to march and play along the route, and organizing the floats, Tucker said, he has never even thought to take a moment aside.
And again this year, on July 3 at 6 p.m., he will be too busy making things run smoothly to watch his creation.
The Horribles bug has bitten the family hard: David's father, Wesley Tucker, 74, has been active in the organization of the parade since the 1960s; David's daughter Nicole, 21, will drive the announcer's truck; and son David Jr., 8, will be collecting donations to pay for the festivities.
What began as a parade of animals throughout Riverdale Park in the 1920s and 1930s has become an institution for many other families across Gloucester, who will reserve their usual spots along the parade route.
People don't just watch the Horribles Parade, entire families become a part of it, he said.
"Everybody is welcome and you don't even need to pre-register," said Wesley Tucker, who has had 30 people register so far to dress in costume and march during the parade.
There will also be 16 dancers, ages 5 to 14, from Nadine's Dance Company on Center Street performing line dances to songs like "Respect" by Aretha Franklin.
"They're excited about this one," said Nadine Altieri, owner of the studio. "They're representing the studio and they're representing their peers."
Parents of the dance students have also been preparing for the parade, decorating the back of the flatbed truck that will carry banners in front of them.
The costumes of the "Horribles" in the parade itself - some comic, some with political overtones, others just plain outlandish - are often a main draw for the thousands of spectators who are expected to watch.
About $20,000 has been spent recruiting 10 bands to play along the route and the singing group Celebration U.S.A., which will be belting out the patriotic tunes for the fireworks celebration in Boston on the Fourth of July, will stop to sing in Gloucester during the route.
And there are still a few kinks to work out in the final hours. For example, after their original truck needed repairs, organizers still need to find a flatbed truck for the Docksiders band.
"It would be nice if all the people that view it were able to contribute, even a dollar," said Barrett Pett, president and director of the Gloucester Fund, who has organized the fireworks display that will follow the parade.
The fireworks will be set off at exactly 10 p.m. from Stage Fort Park and will float down over the harbor so that boaters will have a prime view.
"If anything, it gets more and more interesting and fun, and we develop new and exciting things," he said. A number of those new fireworks surprises will also be unveiled Monday.
"But we would like to keep that as a surprise for everyone," Pett said.
If you go
What: The Fishtown Horribles Parade of Gloucester, followed by a fireworks display launched from Stage Fort Park.
Date: Monday, July 3
Time: Parade begins at 6 p.m., fireworks at 10 p.m.
Where: The parade begins at Gloucester High School and then turns onto Stacy Boulevard (via Centennial Avenue). The parade then follows the Boulevard to Rogers Street, onto Manuel Lewis Road, Main Street, Pleasant Street, Prospect Street, Railroad Avenue, Washington Avenue, and then back to the high school via Centennial Avenue.
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