In the pursuit of happiness, is there anything quite like a Fourth of July parade? They’re as American as apple pie. Here are four local parades and related activities that caught our eye. As we get closer to Independence Day, look for details on more parades and events here.
Concord’s July 4th parade kicks off at 9 a.m. downtown, with a ceremony at the State House at 10 a.m. Expect street closures from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. in that area, including Storrs Street, part of North Main Street, and the Pleasant Street extension.
Concord is also celebrating its tricentennial this year, tipping its tricorne hat to its land grant in 1725, when it was first known as Penacook Plantation.
The New Hampshire Historical Society also has an Independence Day Open House from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. It will include guided tours of exhibitions and you can see rare objects from the state’s Revolutionary past, including two flags from the Second N.H. Continental Regiment.
Hanover turns 265
Hanover is celebrating America’s 250th and its own 265th anniversary since the town was founded in 1761. The Hanover parade on July 4th starts at 10 a.m. at Hanover High School and ends at the Dartmouth Green.
A toast to the Revolution
In Keene, the Fourth of July parade has a fitting starting point: The Wyman Tavern. The tavern, which is now a museum and part of the Historical Society of Cheshire County, is where 29 Minutemen gathered in April 1775 to march to Lexington at the outbreak of the American Revolution.
The Keene parade starts at 11 a.m. from the Wyman Tavern, after which there will be a reading of the Declaration of Independence and historical demonstrations on the law outside of the historic house. A festival begins at noon. The holiday weekend in Keene starts with an annual Keene Swampbats Independence Eve game and fireworks on Friday, July 3. See Monadnock 250 for more information.
The Colonial Kids are all right
In Newbury, part of the 250th theme focuses on the “Colonial Kids.” After the Fourth of July parade in South Newbury, people are invited to South Newbury Town Hall for refreshments and presentations, with the focus being on what it was like to be a kid during the Revolutionary War era. They will have colonial toys on hand, 10 a.m. to noon. Newbury Historical Society.