American Patriot Parade set for July 3

The American Patriot Parade will hold its third annual 4th of July parade at 6 p.m. July 3 in downtown Hillsdale.

The line-up for the parade begins at 5 p.m. in the midtown parking lot and there is no pre-registration required.

Danielle Mentz, an organizer for the event, said the public is welcome to participate in the parade.

“Anyone and everyone is welcome to be a part of the parade,” Mentz said.

A statement from the group encouraged community members to participate.

It said, “We are calling all and any classic and vintage cars and tractors to be in the parade!”

The parade was first organized in 2020, when the pandemic led to a lot of Fourth of July celebrations being canceled.

“No one stepped up to host the parade, so we organized a group and called it The American Patriot Parade,” Mentz said, “We are celebrating our freedom on the 4th of July and that should never be taken away from us.”

According to a statement from the group, the parade route is through downtown Hillsdale.

“We will start in the Midtown parking lot behind The Hunt Club. We will lead the parade down the alley north to North Street we will then turn east (going in front of The Pub N Grub) then turn south at Hollow Strett and turn west on Barry Steet, then north down the alley before Manning Street and head back to Midtown parking lot.”

The parade has seen growing support from the community the last few years.

“We have gotten a lot of positive support from the community after the parade each year,” Mentz said, “I think the community is happy someone is hosting a parade after we almost didn’t have one for the first time in 2020.”

Theresa Rutan, another organizer of the event, said her favorite part of being involved has been the community’s reaction.

“Seeing the children’s excitement on their faces when they see the fire trucks pass them by and the community coming out to an event where we all celebrate our independence,” Rutan said.

Mentz said the parade organizers look forward to having the community gather again to celebrate on the holiday weekend.

“We are just grateful to host this parade and look forward to seeing everyone who shows up to participate.”

This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: News