County celebrates July 4th
MARS — In addition to wearing patriotic colors, many children lined the streets of the borough Friday afternoon holding paper bags.
The reason? To collect candy thrown from vehicles in the borough's annual Fourth of July Parade.
“They always throw candy and it's so much fun to watch the kids scramble and try and pick it up,” said Sue Leonberg of Adams Township.
Children were an emphasis of the parade as it started off with a minibike parade featuring children on decorated bikes.
“I didn't know we had so many kids in Mars,” Master of Ceremonies Jim Lacher said.
The rest of the parade included firetrucks, ambulances, police cars, classic cars, tractors and other vehicles, many of which threw out candy or other trinkets.
The parade, which started at 5 p.m., was accompanied by free food, arts and crafts and a bounce house on the corner of Pittsburgh Street and Grand Avenue. The celebration was capped off by a fireworks display at night.
Though the parade has been a long-standing tradition in Mars, its latest incarnation took shape five years ago after lack of organization led to a year without a parade, said borough council President Mike Fleming.
The task of organizing the parade and seeking donors for the fireworks and food was then taken up by Fleming's wife, Jennifer, and other volunteers.
“There has been a lot of support from a lot of people and businesses to make this possible,” he said.
Dave's Meats, Shop 'n Save, Marburger Dairy and Slice of Sugar provided food, while the borough and other donors helped raise money for the fireworks.
Some people in attendance said they enjoy the tradition and patriotism of the parade.
“I thought it was great. You really feel like you are in small-town USA,” said Dave Richards of Shaler Township.
Amy McKaveney of Hampton Township said she has been attending parades in Mars for more than 50 years and enjoys the traditions.“It's a good parade, it's just a lot of fun,” she said.Brad Barr of Mars said seeing the parade for the first time in several years brought back memories.“I haven't seen this since I was a little kid, I love everything about it,” he said.Making new memories and celebrating the community are important motivators to keep the celebration going strong, Fleming said.“It brings the community together. People from out of town come and get a chance to see people they haven't seen in a while, and it's a big deal for the kids,” he said.
