Braden DeZutter bicycled in last year’s parade with his cousin Jack Steen. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
It is hard to imagine the Fourth of July in Harvard without the annual parade, festivities, and fireworks, but that was almost the case this year. Longtime committee members Steve and Mary Ellen Miller were unable to serve this year and reached out to the community for volunteers in January. Unfortunately, they didn’t get an overwhelming response, so they asked the Board of Selectmen for help with the recruitment efforts. This year’s group consists almost entirely of new volunteers.
“In years past the committee began meeting in January,” said Fourth of July committee co-chairman Rich Maiore. “This year our first meeting was in late April. Despite the late start, we were quickly able to get a Fourth of July shirt designed and printed, thanks to committee member Sandra Kimball. We’ve gotten great support from folks in town who have purchased the Fourth of July T-shirt, which helps fund the fireworks, parade and field events. We’ve also gotten help from the General Store in selling the shirts and from Fruitlands Museum in planning the fireworks. So, despite the late start and bleak beginning, we are very excited about the events for the 4th of July weekend.”
According to Arline Marteney of Tahanto Trail, serving on the Fourth of July committee is time-consuming, but the outcome is extremely rewarding. Arline and her late husband Gene were the original co-chairs on the first Fourth of July committee in 1967.
“I was born in Puerto Rico and we didn’t have this kind of celebration,” she said. “I wasn’t used to the festivities. The most I had seen was fireworks. My husband grew up in Ridley Park, Penn., and came up with the ideas based on his childhood there. All the events we planned revolved around children—three-legged race, egg toss, ice cream, decorated bicycle parade. The first year we held it on the Common because we weren’t sure what kind of turnout we would have. We had about 29 kids.
“The Girl Scouts from Camp Green Eyrie did the flag-raising,” she continued. “We stored pies from Table Talk in cases in our garage. My husband insisted they were blueberry pies because that was patriotic. The elementary school music teacher had a group of students she dubbed the ‘Yankee Doodlers.’ They were dressed in blue vests with red bottoms and they were our first band. The event was so popular we had to move it to the school grounds the next year. My husband would be so thrilled to see how his ideas have grown. He tried so hard to get fireworks, and the fire chief at the time wouldn’t allow them. I am so excited to see them included now. When I saw there might not be a 4th of July celebration this year I knew I couldn’t let that happen. I volunteered right away. Unfortunately, I just had surgery on my leg so I am limited to what I can do, but I think we have a great group of people running things this year.”
Although on a much larger scale than the first celebration in 1967, the event still maintains the basic premise of focusing on traditions. The festivities will begin on July 2 with food and a concert at 5 p.m. and a dusk display of fireworks at Fruitlands Museum (rain date is Monday, July 5.) Parking is $10 a carload, with all proceeds going to the Harvard Fireworks Committee and Harvard Firemen. The annual 5-mile road race and other town activities will begin at 8:15 a.m. on July 3 at the Bromfield School, and the parade will begin at 11 a.m. on the town Common.
This year’s parade will be led by grand marshal Phyllis Newman, a 57-year resident of Harvard. Newman is well known in Harvard for her role as a caregiver. She and her late husband Churchill owned the former New Manor Hall nursing home on Bolton Road. Her enthusiasm for the parade is infectious. “This year’s grand old parade will be led by a grand old dame,” she jests.
The theme of the parade chosen by committee members is the 1970s. Jill Lee and the other parade committee members have lined up a unique group of floats, musicians, and other participants including:
- Antique cars
- Children’s bikes.
- Harvard Police Dept.
- Citizen of Note Lucy Wallace
- The Nashoba Valley band
- Elected town officials
- State elected officials
- Harvard UU Church
- Carlson Orchards
- The Village Nursery School students
- Holy Trinity Church
- Cheshire Barn
- Bare Hill Pond lifeguards
- Decorated bikes
- Music organized by Steve Peisch and Betsy Starr
Lee summed up the importance of the Fourth of July celebration to the town: “We need to carry on these traditions for our children and hopefully, with the support of volunteers in the community, we can continue to do so as our founding fathers had predicted.”
