Rain-Delayed July 4th Parade Set-August 28, 1978

Norwood residents experiencing mid-summer déjà vu next weekend need not worry about a time warp: the town’s rain-delayed July Fourth parade is finally hitting Washington Street at 2:00 p.m. Sunday. Featuring 22 marching bands, colorful floats, and civic organizations, the patriotic procession was salvaged through a combination of last-minute community donations, past parade funds, and town appropriations.

Parade Chairman Richard Roy reported that the committee faced an initial budget deficit, starting with just $2,800 from a town appropriation of $2,000 and leftover funds from the 1975 and 1976 parades to cover $4,200 worth of band expenses. Through direct mailers and newspaper appeals, local residents and businesses contributed an essential $1,000 to close the gap. Roy noted that overall donations were the lowest since the parade’s inception, emphasizing that administrative costs alone require a minimum of $250 just for invitations and correspondence.

Parade Highlights and Route

Sunday’s procession will feature several prominent attractions:

• The National Lancers: The award-winning mounted horse-and-rider team will perform precision close-order drills.
• Local Ensembles: Performances by the Norwood Debonnaires, the Colonial Boys, and Baxter’s Ice Cream Dixieland Band.
• Featured Floats: The debut of a festive float sponsored by the Boston Gas Co.
• Honorary Grand Marshalls: For the first time, two local figures—Mrs. May Nelson (active on numerous civic committees) and Mr. Eugene (“Scoop”) McLean (a veteran police and newspaper photographer)—will lead the parade in recognition of their deep community commitment.
• Charitable Drive: A Muscular Dystrophy fish bowl sponsored by the Norwood Jaycees will collect donations along the route for delivery to the Channel 5 telethon headquarters, though a planned float by Roche Brothers supermarket in Westwood was unfortunately destroyed by vandals prior to the event.

The parade route will kick off at Norwood Junior High South on Washington Street, travel through South Norwood and downtown to Nahatan Street, and conclude at the Star Market shopping center parking lot, with several $50 prizes awarded for top floats.

Despite financial hurdles, the committee successfully preserved a $700 reserve fund for next year’s event. Asked what would happen if rain struck a second time, Roy laughed off the possibility: “I don’t think I could take another disaster. People will just get a little wet.”

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger