MANCHESTER — The town's time-honored traditions were carried on at the Fourth of July parade yesterday, with one major exception.
The parade included flags, bands and floats, all remaining true to the all-American family values that have distinguished it each year. But this year, in keeping with the theme of the holiday, the float judging was a little more democratic.
Beth Heisey, her husband, Bruce, 13 of her siblings and their spouces and children were nominated by the Fourth of July Committee to judge the floats this year from Heisey's home on 49 Pleasant St. Heisey, who is an assistant to the Board of Selectmen and the town administrator, said that she was surprised when she found out that her Fourth of July party had been chosen to judge the floats. But when it was explained to her she thought it was a good idea.
"We've never done this before, you know," said Peggy Finn, one of the judges. "It's fun."
The Fourth of July Committee chose a house that the parade would pass by and where the board knew there would be the biggest party around.
"And it goes all day," said Heisey about the massive family party. With so many family members, the Heisey house undoubtedly held the biggest congregation of people on Pleasant Street.
"Where else would you be on the Fourth than Pleasant Street?" said Bob Ryan, one of Heisey's brothers-in-law.
A stack of voting sheets was passed out to the family with four voting categories: community, commercial, youth and a miscellaneous category termed "yellow" because that was the color of the number given to floats in that category.
"It's good to see old-time American values," said Meredith Taumayan, who was visiting her friends, the Petersons.
As fire engines from Salisbury to Rockport rolled down Pleasant Street, followed by marching bands, including the Boston Crusaders, and floats ranging from modest displays to elaborate creations that clearly demanded a great deal of thought and effort, the Heiseys stood ready to observe, comment and cast their votes.
"This group cracks me up," said Finn about the Tony Barrie Marching Band from Saugus. Every year the group, which was marching in plain clothes with red aprons for band uniformity, according to member Les Tarmy, stops in front of 50 Pleasant St. and plays "Happy Birthday" for Charlie Lane. Lane, who was born on the Fourth of July, was simultaneously sprayed with Silly String by his family and friends.
The band already played at the Beverly Farms parade Thursday and was planning on participating in the parades in Sudbury and Wakefield, making the Fourth a busy day for them, said Tarmy.
A few local politicians walked the parade route, including state Rep. Brad Hill, R-Ipswich, state Sen. Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, and Congressman John Tierney, D-Salem.
By far the most famous Democrat represented at the parade was Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. When the parade started on Vine Street the trail of Obama supporters walking in the parade was about 50 people. When it got to the judges' house, the number of supporters appeared to have doubled.
When antique bicyles, a Manchester Fourth of July parade staple, rolled down the street with bells ringing and people marveling at their unique design, Kathy Ryan, Bob Ryan's wife, commented, "That does not look comfortable. Oh, my back."
When a float that included a breaching whale that squirted water from its blowhole rolled by, Finn commented, "That's been a winner on some of those hot days."
Also in the parade was an approximately 13-foot-tall fiberglass bull advertising the Manor Steakhouse in Gloucester. "It just puts a smile on everybody's face," said restaurant owner Ken Taliadoros.
As the parade progressed, some of the judges kept notes on the back of their ballots to keep track of their favorites. Heisey, however, had commented on how difficult it was without something hard to write on. To help she had been handing out cereal boxes to the people who chose to vote.
The minor and major Little League champions each had a float. The Braves, a major league team which came from behind in their third game of their championship series against the A's to win the Essex Manchester Little League championship, 7-6, had decorated their float like a locker room. The minor league team, the Royals, had built a castle on top of the bed of a pickup truck. They sprayed the crowed with water guns and silly string as they passed.
Finn liked it but not being sprayed.
Perhaps one of the most creative of the floats was one submitted by Singleton Plumbing, a Manchester-based company. Dave Singleton built an old wooden outhouse that recycled the day's rainwater and dropped it into an old cast iron tub. The tub and outhouse were then surrounded with wildflowers giving the impression that the whole arrangement had been lifted out of the ground somewhere in Northern Maine and put in the back of Singleton's pickup truck.
"We couldn't get anyone to go in the tub," he said. "Actually, with the timing and the rain we don't blame them."
"Oh, this is a riot," said Finn. "That is a lot of work."
When the last troop of Colonial minutemen and the popular steel drum bands had passed along with the rest of the parade, the judges deliberated and cast their votes, and Heisey was asked who she voted for. She replied that it was a secret ballot and, therefore, could not say. The ballots were collected and the results will be released later.
Michael Farrell can be reached at gt_reporter@gloucestertimes.com.
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