Marion celebrates Independence Day with town parade
An inflatable duck float stands atop a vehicle during the Marion Independence Day parade on Saturday, July 4. Photos by Grace Roche
Zola Campbell, 11, holds the trophy her family won for their decorated convertible. 
Evelyn Hussey, 6, and Valerie Hussey, 6, grab candy thrown along the parade route. 
A patriotic t-rex sticks out of a car's sunroof. 
The Marion Concert Band marches down Route 6. 
Courtney Nowick, right, smiles from a convertible decorated with flowers and flags.
Kids pick up candy and wave at parade participants. 
A member of the Portuguese-American Band marches down the street with his drum.
Valerie Hussey watches the parade go by. 
South Coast Smiles had a disco-decorated vehicle in the parade. 
Some parade participants dressed like it's 1776. 
LaVonne Brown, of Marion, enjoys the parade.
An inflatable duck float stands atop a vehicle during the Marion Independence Day parade on Saturday, July 4. Photos by Grace Roche
Zola Campbell, 11, holds the trophy her family won for their decorated convertible.
Evelyn Hussey, 6, and Valerie Hussey, 6, grab candy thrown along the parade route.
A patriotic t-rex sticks out of a car's sunroof.
The Marion Concert Band marches down Route 6.
Courtney Nowick, right, smiles from a convertible decorated with flowers and flags.
Kids pick up candy and wave at parade participants.
A member of the Portuguese-American Band marches down the street with his drum.
Valerie Hussey watches the parade go by.
South Coast Smiles had a disco-decorated vehicle in the parade.
Some parade participants dressed like it's 1776.
LaVonne Brown, of Marion, enjoys the parade.
MARION — Residents and visitors braved the heat to line the streets of Marion for the town’s annual Fourth of July parade.
People decorated cars, trucks, tractors and other vehicles for the Saturday, July 4 event, and many parade participants passed out candy and other goodies to onlookers.
Jessica Barmach traveled from Brookline to bring her kids to what has become a family tradition. She said she started visiting four years ago when a friend suggested she spend a long weekend in the town and they “fell in love with it.”
“This is the most fun Fourth of July parade that is near-ish, where it's pretty far, but it feels like an escape, and it's such a lovely community,” she said.
Some years, she said the family will watch the beginning of the parade then walk to the end to see it go past again. This year they stayed put in a nicely shaded spot.
Her kids Rose, 7, and Lewis, 5, said their favorite part of the parade was the candy and ice pops they got.
Reed Laverack and his family traveled even further to see the parade. Each year the Kennebunk, Maine residents come back to where Laverack’s wife grew up to celebrate the Fourth of July.
“I know my wife loves remembering it from her childhood,” he said.
At the conclusion of the parade, Executive Assistant Donna Hemphill announced the winners of several parade participation categories.
Among the winners was Courtney Nowick and her family, who took second place in the family category for their convertible covered in American flags and flowers from Always in Bloom.
Peg Crowley-Nowick said they spent a lot of time thinking of how to decorate their parade entry, and used flags from her husband Matt Nowick’s collection of flags.
“We spent the morning getting all the flowers organized and put together on the car,” Crowley-Nowick said. “It was a great time — lots of decorations, lots of fun — but more than anything, it was a family event.”
They’ve participated in the parade for many years, and Crowley-Nowick and Matt Nowick said the best part of the day is seeing people’s faces light up as they watch the procession. They described themselves as “proud Americans” and said they like seeing people come together to celebrate the country.
Courtney Nowick said the day was special for her because she got to involve the next generation in the family’s tradition.
“I went to them all as a kid, and now I get to bring my kids,” she said.
