In a departure from the rain of June, Fourth of July festivities in Round Pond village saw intermittent sunshine and warmth while attendees from near and far lined the streets in anticipation of the noon parade. Attendance for the parade was larger than expected, but the number of participants in the parade itself is still regaining its stride after COVID-19.
Despite fewer than usual floats, the excitement from the crowd was evident. John Reny, a longtime resident of Round Pond, said that it was good to see everyone out and ready for the parade.
“This is wonderful,” Reny said, surrounded by his family.
Parade floats lined up at Masters Machine Co. starting at 11 a.m. to get organized for the parade. While the float numbers were down, spirits were high.
Jenny Chase, organizer of the “Footloose” float, said that this year was their first time back in a few years.
“This is our eighth year doing this,” Chase said, while participants dressed in sparkling formal wear, preparing the float for departure. “This is our first time back since COVID.”Laurent Poole also organized the float while Brett McClain and Bella Fabiano drove the truck pulling them through town.
The parade runs from Masters Machine on Lower Round Pond Road to Route 32, through the Round Pond village, and ends just past the Round Pond courts.
Jim Matel, co-owner of Round Pond Coffee, was excited to see the high spirits from the crowds and kids, despite the shorter than usual parade.
“It’s nice to see that we’re almost back to pre-COVID numbers,” Matel said. He added it would be good to see more people involved with making floats.
The Round Pond parade has a history of politically savvy and humorous floats. On its website, the Damariscotta Region Chamber of Commerce and Information Bureau calls the parade “the most eccentric, unorganized Fourth of July parade of all time.”
Regaining traction after the COVID-19 pandemic, there are some noticeable differences. In years past, all the businesses in Round Pond harbor have been open to the public for parade celebrations to continue, with bands and pie eating competitions.
King Ro Market, a staple in the Round Pond community, has been closed since May 12 and has been a traditional hotspot for candy throwing and water gun fights during the parade. While those activities still occurred, the closure of the market had a noticeable impact on the landscape of the parade’s attendants.
There were some familiar faces in attendance. The Tacky Tourists, a group of out-of-state residents who dance with their beach chairs, were in the parade and enjoying themselves.
Dennis Hilton, owner of Newcastle Reality, drove a fire truck in the parade adorned with excited and smiling kids, all armed with candy and water guns.
Franky Poland and Dana Poland drove beautiful antique cars through the village.
Just past King Ro sat three judges in their black gowns, Deirdre Coggins, Julia Fitz-Randolph, and Wendy English, who gave scores to the participants of the parade, holding up cards on a scale from one to three.
A few of the floats followed the Round Pond parade tradition of pushing the political envelope and gave their take on the OceanGate submersible that was recently destroyed in a dive to the wreckage of the Titanic.
Another float set up a bar in the back of a trailer with a sign that said “Artificial Intelligence” posted in the front, met with laughter from the crowd.
