Creswell hosts first official Fourth of July parade since start of pandemic
Residents of Creswell and many from surrounding communities lined city streets Monday to celebrate the Fourth of July with a beloved parade making its official return after two years of cancellations because of the pandemic.
The Independence Day celebrations in Creswell started early with a pancake breakfast and were scheduled to end with fireworks at dusk. An 11 a.m. military jet flyover kicked off a parade of bands, Boy Scouts, classic cars, horses, businesses and more.
"It just makes us feel like we're supporting our county and our town and enjoying ourselves at the same time," Maggie Rothauge, a Creswell resident for nearly 20 years, said. "We like the horses, but we love to watch the Boy Scout troops, the firetrucks, the power company — and, of course, we loved the flyover."
Thousands of paradegoers found space to watch the parade along the street curbs, settled into their folding chairs or standing along the route. Many others watched from home and business porches, or from their trucks' tailgates.
"There's definitely more people here than just our small town of Creswell," said Jenny Collins, a Creswell resident since 2020 who was attending the parade for the first time. "I just love it. I'm happy to be here."
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The COVID-19 pandemic caused the parade, usually put on by the Creswell Chamber of Commerce, to be canceled in both 2020 and 2021. The Chamber wasn't involved in putting on the unpermitted parade that took place last year.
"We're looking for a sense of normalcy," Creswell Chamber of Commerce President Jason Stubbs said. "We're looking for people to be able to have fun and experience what the Fourth of July has been in the past and what it should be: an opportunity to come together to be able to celebrate independence and have fun as a community."
Stubbs said the parade is one of the biggest in Oregon and he expected as many as 10,000 people attended.
"It's something about small towns. They come together more than big cities do for things like this," Stubbs said. "It's a great time to just have fun and get out and see what the small town of Creswell can put forward for people."
Last year, the far-right extremist group the Proud Boys organized and conducted an unpermitted parade independent of traditional organizers, who put on other events in town that day. Two individuals were eventually cited for conducting the illegal parade.
Contact reporter Adam Duvernay at aduvernay@registerguard.com. Follow on Twitter @DuvernayOR.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Creswell hosts first official 4th of July parade since 2019
