Traditional Parade Route Restored; Select Board Reverses Previous Vote

CHATHAM – Traditionalists rejoice: This year’s Independence Day parade will follow its longstanding route down Main Street to Crowell Road rather than turning down Old Harbor Road at the downtown rotary.

 The select board reversed its earlier decision to change the parade route, with members expressing concerns about the potential for record crowds on the country’s 250th anniversary and whether the new route could accommodate the number of people expected on July 4.

 “It’s inevitably going to bring in more people,” said board member Stuart Smith, noting that the parade also falls on a Saturday this year. “I wonder if that is the right time to make a change. It probably isn’t, in hindsight.”

 At the request of the Independence Day Parade committee and public safety officials, the board voted Jan. 27 to alter the parade route so that it followed Old Harbor Road to Barcliff Avenue instead of the usual route down Main Street past the rotary to Crowell Road, and down Crowell Road to Lake Street. The board also agreed to change the starting time for the parade from 9:30 to 9 a.m., and to prohibit the long-standing practice of allowing vehicles to park on one side of Main Street during the parade. While the board reversed its vote on the route, the new start time and the parking ban remain in effect.

 Vice chair Jeffrey Dykens said after mulling over the vote, he decided that this was not the year to change the parade route. The number of people who view the procession west of the rotary and on Crowell Road is “considerable,” he said, and he questioned whether that volume of people could be accommodated along Old Harbor Road. Additionally, most of the property along the original route is commercial, with parking lots and lawns from which people can watch the parade, while Old Harbor Road is largely residential.

 “It’s like putting a size 10 foot in a size eight shoe,” he said.

 Resident John Whelan, a former parade grand marshal, echoed that comment, noting that he was amazed by the "phenomenal" number of people along the route when he rode in the parade. He said he represented a “very diverse” group of people who opposed the change.

 “An awful lot of people consider the Fourth of July parade a tradition,” he said. “They have stood in the same position for many years. It’s their habit.” For many people, the parade is the centerpiece of the summer, and making a change, especially in such an important year, “is not really a great idea,” he said.

Whelan acknowledged the concern of public safety officials, who said keeping the crowds at bay around the rotary and navigating the Crowell Road-Main Street intersection is a challenge, with truck drivers often having difficulty navigating turns while keeping an eye out for pedestrians. Old Harbor Road would also be a more secure parade route, with fewer opportunities for disruption, they said.

Public safety departments are stretched thin on July 4, said Police Chief Michael Anderson, and the alternative route could be easier to monitor and keep secure. Both public safety officials and the parade committee said they felt using Old Harbor Road would help close gaps between floats, which has become a major problem in recent years. Last year, there were only two parade marshals along the route, Anderson said, appealing to the group Whelan represented to volunteer to help out during the event “to make it a smoother and safer parade.”

Board member Cory Metters, the liaison with the parade committee, said he was confident public safety and town employees would “do their job 200 percent” no matter what the route, and suggested that after the parade, the organizers reach out to the public about the route change.

 “Maybe some changes are warranted,” he said. “Our focus should be on planning a safe and fun event. At the end of the day, that’s all we want.”

There may be merit to changing the route, said Smith, but there should be public outreach first.

 “This may not be that year, though,” he agreed.

 Chair Dean Nicastro said the arguments for keeping the traditional route persuaded him to support reversing the board’s previous vote. “I think this is probably not the right year” to make a change, he said.

 The board voted unanimously in favor of restoring the parade’s traditional route.