Booming good time
Jul. 6—WILLIMANTIC — A woman in shackles protesting the reversal of Roe V. Wade, a fire breather and Harry Potter characters were among the many marchers in the annual BoomBox Parade on Monday.
Unlike traditional Fourth of July parades, the BoomBox Parade is known for its wacky floats and themes. The quirky spirit of the event keeps people coming back year after year.
The state's top government official — Gov. Ned Lamont marched for the second time on Monday.
" It's the funnest parade around, by far," he said, while dining at Willimantic Brewing Co. that afternoon.
The BoomBox parade starts at Jillson Square and travels down Main Street to Memorial Park. Instead of a marching band, WILI radio plays a patriotic soundtrack during the parade.
People are asked to tune in using their boombox or other radio.
There have been safety issues in the past, so safety guidelines were established several years ago. These include: no spraying water, no reckless operators and no throwing candy.
Willington resident Deb Courtright, who was at the parade with her husband, Eddie Courtright, has been coming to the parade since she was a student at the University of Connecticut more than 20 years ago " They go all out and do really cool things," she said. " I find that people put a lot of passion into it."
Courtright said she enjoys running into students and parents from Ashford School, where she has been a teacher for 37 years.
Several community organizations and local businesses had floats in the parade " It's an event no one should miss," longtime Thread City Development board member Maureen Crowley said.
Thread City Development is a group of community partners that promote the downtown community. Anyone that wants to can march in the BoomBox Parade and marchers do not register ahead of time.
" I like it because it's a small community that comes together and celebrates together," said Willimantic resident Alenni Rosado, who was at the parade with her miniature goldendoodle, Cujo, and her family.
Resident Kathy Clark is known as the " Parade Mama" because she came up with the concept for the parade, which started in 1986.
The Windham High School marching band disbanded and the town didn't have another one to take its place. There wasn't enough time to organize the Boom box Parade concept for Memorial Day, so it started on July Fourth instead.
This year, the parade lasted for more than an hour.
" I can already tell there are more people here this year than last year," Thread City Development member Andrew Gutt said before the parade began.
He said he sometimes marches in the parade, noting that it is more fun to march in the parade than watch it. This year, however, Gutt was watching the parade from outside his Main Street restaurant, Stone Row Kitchen + Bar. Each year, marchers protest about current events during the parade.
This year, the reversal of Roe V. Wade and gun control were popular topics. Roe V. Wade is a Supreme Court decision that established a constitutional right for
BOOM BOX, Page 4
