In a letter to the editor on August 13, Carl Lobel wrote about the most recent 4th of July parade in Warren. He said, “I objected to the Rotary’s choice of theme. It was political, divisive, and inappropriate for the parade, especially a parade commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.” He then suggested that we dismiss our Rotary volunteers and hand the project of planning and running the event back to the town of Warren. He seemed to be saying that our celebration of the 4th of July in Warren should revert to the "old ways.” Yet, I don’t know which “old days” he is referring to.
The website for our parade states that this year marked the 76th annual event in Warren. That would mean it started in 1950. The early parades began with a horse show featuring as many as fifty animals. Further research shows that the procession likely consisted of horse-drawn carriages, musicians, and veterans. The writer Tim Johnson noted that across Vermont in days gone by, “...the typical July 4 event was filled with lengthy orations, florid odes, and classical music—almost like a prolonged church service.” That kind of parade might have lasted for a decade and a half.
However, the year 1965—sixty-one years ago—was pivotal for the parade’s evolution. Warren town clerk Emma Ford invited some young architects from Yale to join in. They had come to the area to build experimental housing on a piece of land called Prickly Mountain, and Emma thought they would bring fresh ideas. Apparently, Emma loved a good parade. The young designers “from away” created a moving basketball game, with players walking on the ground inside a defined area. As the apparatus rolled forward, they had to keep pace with the parade while also trying to dribble and shoot the ball into one of the baskets.
What the Prickly team didn’t anticipate was the challenge of following so many horses. Playing the game became even more difficult as they had to dodge piles of horse poop! Architect Jim Sandford arrived five years later and confirmed during a phone call, “The horses were still a challenge at that point.” The piles of obstacles set a colorful tone for the event—a tone that still exists to this day.
However, the Prickly crew and others tackled serious themes too. This year, the Prickly group constructed a huge reflecting pool in front of a facsimile of the Lincoln Memorial—complete with its iconic columns. A separate marcher donned an Uncle Sam costume with stilts, while another dressed as General Benjamin Wait, the founder of the town of Waitsfield, in a magnificent colonial uniform, along with his beautifully costumed partner, who stood in for the General’s wife. A lively group of dancers managed to maintain their choreography for the entire parade route. And as Senator Bernie Sanders passed the announcers amidst a deluge of rain, what did the band play? Prince’s "Purple Rain," of course! Can a parade get more Mad River Valley than that?
Lisa Loomis, the editor of this paper, wrote, “The parade, long known for its irreverent floats, political satire, homemade artistry, and community spirit, has become one of the Mad River Valley’s defining annual rituals."
Despite Mr. Lobel’s objections against the theme of "Resistance is Revolutionary," it is actually a perfect fit. Lobel’s assertion was that it was inappropriate for the anniversary of the original thirteen colonies signing their Declaration of Independence. He is, of course, entitled to his opinion. But Vermont was not part of the United Colonies in 1776. Many settlers here wanted to be but were denied that right.
Thus, Vermont’s journey to statehood evolved into a remarkable story of resistance. When Vermont’s application for statehood was repeatedly turned down, instead of yielding to any of our aggressors, such as Great Britain, New York, and New Hampshire, the people of Vermont took a bold stand. Our leaders declared independence from all of them. Our forefathers got busy establishing the Republic of Vermont. The new country’s constitution was signed in Windsor, Vermont, the following summer of 1777. That’s right—we wrote and adopted a constitution before the United Colonies did. We remained a sovereign nation for 14 years, with our own flag, currency, and even the Green Mountain Boys as an army. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that they also outlawed slavery, which was another first. By the time Vermont was welcomed to be the 14th state of the United States of America, we were in a position to negotiate.
By 1965, the new zaniness and creativity were more in line with Vermont’s unusual history. For example, in 1798, President John Adams created the Alien and Sedition Acts—making it a federal crime to write anything against the U.S. government, Congress, or the president. He then charged Vermont’s representative in Washington, Matthew Lyons, with the crime and threw him in jail. Our response was to vote Mr. Lyons back in for another term, even though he was behind bars. This speaks volumes about who Vermonters were—and I would argue, largely still are.
Here are two final thoughts: If we shift our consideration from Vermont to the thirteen original colonies, ask yourself what they were doing with their own Declaration of Independence. They were resisting the rule of Great Britain. Why? Because resistance is revolutionary!
And in the words of Sparky Potter, who I interviewed at MRVTV this morning, “The great thing about the Warren 4th of July Parade is that every single person can and will have a different interpretation of the theme of each year’s parade. We can disagree, but when we do, we should be able to put our differences aside and still play frisbee together.” Amen, Sparky.
Mehuron lives in Waitsfield.
