Firefighters entertain residents, visitors at Boonton Labor Day parade
BOONTON — Firefighters and rescue squads from more than three dozen towns marched with first responders Saturday in the 131st annual Boonton Fire Department Labor Day parade, part of "the weekend we wait for all year," according to one town resident.
Hundreds of visitors lined Main Street and packed the front lawn of Town Hall to cheer on local heroes as Boonton's Harmony Senior Drum Corps played "Born Free." Many in the crowd would join the marchers later at the annual Boonton Labor Day Carnival at Boonton High School.
The parade is best known for a long line of fire trucks and rescue vehicles, ranging from new models to vintage equipment, including a horse-drawn pumper. Companies from most neighboring towns were well-represented, while others came from towns as far as Middletown, Ogdensburg and Secaucus to march and submit to the annual juried inspection.
For some, the parade is an annual affair and a reason to gather for their own Labor Day celebrations. Troy Wallace used the opportunity to throw a party on the front porch of his home near the end of the parade route on Wahington Street. Wallace, who grew up in Boonton Township, moved into town three years ago.
"My sister-in-law was the one who said 'the parade goes right by here, can we come over to watch?' " Wallace said.
His aunt, Jean Anderson, is a veteran parade-watcher. Anderson, 75, grew up in the township and graduated Boonton High School, moved to Montclair for a while, but is happy to be back "in a place that I love."
"The sign says it's an old town with a big heart," Anderson said. "I think it's quaint and hope it keeps its original character."
Earlybirds know the front corner lawn at Town Hall is a prime spot for viewing the parade. This year, one family even put up a canopy tent there to shade them from the sun. "Wait 'till next year," a family member said. "We're gonna bring a barbecue."
One newcomer to the parade was Paul DeGroot, a former Passaic County prosecutor and Montville resident running on the Republican line for Congress in New Jersey's 11th district against incumbent Mikie Sherrill.
"I know this is a big event for the district and for Boonton, so I'm here to take part in it," DeGroot said. "This is new to me."
DeGroot, 56, said he was not there to march or campaign, but rather to "get to know" the people and the town. With the November midterm elections just three months off, DeGroot acknowledges as a first-time candidate he needs to raise his profile in Morris County, which dominates District 11.
"As a 25-year prosecutor, I wasn't permitted to be involved in politics," said DeGroot, 56, who retired as a prosecutor last year and has opened a small criminal defense practice in Newark. "I couldn't campaign, donate, endorse, I couldn't even put a bumper sticker on my car."
There was no deep discussion of the issues but he hopes to debate Sherrill before the election. Meanwhile, his campaign will shift into high gear after Labor Day.
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Boonton NJ Labor Day parade: Firefighters march, entertain
