COMMUNITY TRADITION: Newton Chamber’s 2021 Fourth of July Parade brings back feelings of normalcy

The streets of Newton were packed with people wearing red, white and blue. Smiles spread across their cheeks Saturday morning as they watchedhe floats in the Greater Newton Area Chamber of Commerce’s Fourth of July Parade slowly cruise down First Avenue East.

Packed in elbow to elbow, the crowd was eager to celebrate a community tradition that had suffered the fate of so many other local events and festivities the year before. Much to the disappointment of the community and the event organizers, the 2020 parade had to be postponed due to the pandemic.

With vaccines more readily available a year later, restrictions eased up enough for the parade to be held as scheduled. Interviews conducted by Newton News suggest there was a great deal of excitement leading up to the event. It’s as much a celebration of independence as it is a celebration of community.

The hot weather was not going to deter crowds. Not when they had been waiting more than a year to see the parade, to have their kids scrounge for candy on the pavement and wave at their friends or relatives marching alongside a float. These actions may seem trivial, but they’re cherished.

Newton News spoke with a few paradegoers who shared their experiences and thoughts about the popular community event:

Dawn Foreman

“It’s wonderful to be back to normal again. And it’s wonderful to bring the kids out and have them be around other kids. We know everybody and it’s just fun. It’s a big ol’ community, a happy community. The crowd is always nice because everybody talks to each other and has a good time.”

Lanita Keeton

“Last year was really, really tough. I’m a teacher and so everything was just off-kilter. We’ve all been looking forward to this. It’s always fun. My son marches in the parade. This is our last child to go through the parade. He’s got two more years. But we missed it last year and are just really glad that it’s back.”

Marvin Campbell

“I’m impressed. I’m glad to see activities come back and to this level. My god the density of the crowd! You had to be importing. There’s no way there’s that many people living in Newton. It was just a good day to be a citizen of Newton. For more reason than one. We’ve all been cooped up for so long.”

Gaylene Otto

“(I come to the parade) every year. We have the Otto Law Office, so we all sit in the same spot with the family every year. I thought the parade was very nice. What I’ve heard from others is it’s one of the biggest crowds they’ve ever had. It was very, very nice to see everybody out.”

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com