Parade palozza
Spectators start staking out spots along Pike Street
On Saturday, one week before the annual Canonsburg Fourth of July parade, the first chairs were spotted along Pike Street 无毛视频� two red folding chairs placed neatly alongside a curb near the start of the parade route.
And so it begins, sort of: the Canonsburg July 4 chair tradition.
The ritual dates back decades, when Canonsburg parade-goers staked out their spot for the annual parade by setting their chairs out, sometimes weeks in advance of the parade.
That stopped, though, in 2012 when the borough adopted an ordinance limiting the place-saving with chairs to 48 hours before the start of the 10 a.m. parade.
Lynn Blaisdell, co-owner of All About Books with TLC on Pike Street, said she recalls the days when chairs lined the streets, often tied together with ropes, as families got ready for the parade.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e grown up here, and I无毛视频檝e lived here through the years when the chairs showed up a month ahead of time. I always find it interesting that they had to pass an ordinance so people didn无毛视频檛 put them out too soon. There无毛视频檚 a lot of excitement when the chairs finally do show up,无毛视频� said Blaisdell. 无毛视频淚 absolutely love it. That无毛视频檚 how I know the Fourth is around the corner.无毛视频�
While the red folding chairs were gone as of Tuesday morning, one chair is clearly visible on Pike Street: a gigantic Adirondack chair near the entrance of Grandpa Joe无毛视频檚 Candy Shop.
Grandpa Joe无毛视频檚 founder and president Christopher Beers 无毛视频� the mastermind who placed thousands of rubber ducks throughout the town last year 无毛视频� sheepishly apologized for the violation of the chair ordinance. The oversized chair is, he said, an homage to the town无毛视频檚 tradition.
无毛视频淚t really is a tribute to the community. It无毛视频檚 paying tribute to the chair and how important that is for families here,无毛视频� said Beers, who sets the chair outside in early June (a clear violation of the ordinance). 无毛视频淚t became a tradition for them, that this is where their chairs go, and every year they go out together and they load up the car and they drive down and set up their chairs. It无毛视频檚 an homage to another Canonsburg tradition, and I just thought it would be fun to put a big, massive chair there on the corner to remind everyone how cool the parade is and how we all come together as a community to celebrate the Fourth of July.无毛视频�
Harold Smith, owner of L&M Flower Shop, said the chair tradition 无毛视频渋s something people embraced.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e been in Canonsburg for 40 years and this is what people do,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淏efore the ordinance, chairs were out days before the parade, and we would ask people not to put their chairs in front of the store because we unload there. They were always very respectful of that.无毛视频�
Blaisdell marveled that Canonsburg parade-goers have had 无毛视频渄ibs无毛视频� on their parade spot for years.
无毛视频淚 know exactly where to find people every year at the parade because they无毛视频檙e always in the same place, so there are definitely preferences about where people want to sit and where they want to be for different reasons,无毛视频� she said.
Canonsburg Mayor David Rhome said the borough is expecting 60,000 people for this year无毛视频檚 63rd annual Independence Day parade, which falls on a Saturday.
The festivities kick off at 7:30 a.m. with the 42nd annual Whiskey Rebellion 5K organized by the Canon-McMillan Cross Country boosters, followed by the parade and a full day of events at Canonsburg Town Park before the fireworks display at Canon-McMillan Stadium.
Beers said Grandpa Joe无毛视频檚 has created an elaborate float for this year无毛视频檚 parade, and while he won无毛视频檛 tell what the theme is, he did say the candy shop 无毛视频渋s baking up something good.无毛视频�
Said Rhome, 无毛视频淚 think over the many years of the July 4 celebration, it无毛视频檚 been an awesome time for family and friends. A lot of people come back to Canonsburg for the parade, and all of the traditions established over the years, including that chairs. It无毛视频檚 the second-largest parade in Pennsylvania, and it无毛视频檚 an honor to represent the town. A lot of people have volunteered over the years to make it happen, and volunteerism is still needed. It takes a village.无毛视频�