Patriotism Sets Tone for Island Fourth of July

Huge Parade Is Set; Fireworks to Follow

By JOSHUA SABATINI

Almost 10 months after Sept. 11, patriotism will bloom fully on the
Vineyard this Thursday as Edgartown invites all Islanders and visitors
to its annual Fourth of July parade and fireworks at nightfall.

Parade grand marshal and Edgartown selectman Fred B. Morgan Jr. said
the September terrorist attacks have brought out this year "more
interest, more participation and more patriotism."

A drive around the Island reveals telltale signs that the
celebration for the country's birthday has arrived in full force.
More American flags are waving in the breeze and red, white and blue
decorations are fastened on an increasing number of fences and posts;
there are even large patriotic displays on a few lawns.

Island hotels, air carriers and the Steamship Authority report that
a typically large crowd will flock to the Island for the holiday. The
Edgartown harbor master's office reports that all the moorings in
the harbor are booked for the week.

Dick McClellan, general manager of Edgartown's Harbor View
Hotel and Kelley House, said his facilities' combined 180 rooms
are fully booked from Wednesday through the weekend.

The Edgartown parade, which dates back more than 50 years, begins at
5 p.m., but there are a handful of things to do in town beforehand, as
spectators of all ages get ready for the always fun-filled evening
coupled with a time of observance.

There is a holiday barbecue from 4 to 8 p.m. on the lawn of the Dr.
Daniel Fisher House, located on Main street in Edgartown next to the Old
Whaling Church. Ticket sales for the event benefit the Martha's
Vineyard Preservation Trust. Fella Caterers will run a concession where
people can order hot dogs and hamburgers, said Janet Heath, the
trust's director of special events.

The lawn is a great place from which to watch the Edgartown Fourth
of July Parade as it comes by, she said.

There is the annual sale of lobster rolls - along with iced
tea and chips - from noon to 6 p.m. on the lawn of St.
Elizabeth's Church on Main street. At the other end of town, the
Harbor View Hotel on North Water street hosts its annual barbecue for
hotel guests and parade viewers.

Mr. Morgan will be out before the start of the parade lining up
participants at the Edgartown School. Uniformed veterans will lead the
parade as usual, followed by Island firefighters and police officers.

Also parading through downtown will be antique cars, floats,
children riding decorated bikes, historic tour companies leading a group
of men, women and children adorned in revolutionary garb, Jabberwocky
campers bedecked in their usual Independence Day fashion and many more.

The veterans will lead the parade along Pease's Point Way,
wrap around toward the Harbor View Hotel, and continue down North Water
street to Main. The parade will travel up Main street, the last section
of the journey, and pass a reviewing stand outside the Old Whaling
Church decorated in red, white and blue.

When the parade concludes, the celebration will begin once again at
nightfall - around 9 p.m. - with the fire
department-sponsored launching of fireworks from a barge anchored just
off Lighthouse Beach.

The town's police department will shut down all of North Water
street and lower Main street to vehicular traffic around 8 p.m.,
providing people with prime standing room for the spectacular display.

Boaters can secure the best seats in the house by anchoring just
outside the harbor.

To clear the way for the festivities, Edgartown police chief Paul
Condlin said Main street parking is banned from 3 p.m. until the end of
the fireworks, and cars are not allowed to travel down Main street
starting at 4:30 p.m. Also, between 3 and 5 p.m., a section of Pine
Hurst Road will be closed to cars except for residents.

For those opting for public transportation, the downtown
Martha's Vineyard Transit Authority bus will make its last stop on
Church street at 4:15 p.m. The bus will then make its stops by the Dukes
County Jail. By parade time, the bus will make its stops at Main and
Cooke streets at the head of Cannonball Park.

Chief Condlin said elderly and handicap parking for the parade is
allowed on Pine street; an officer will be on hand to direct. For the
fireworks, the elderly and handicap parking is located at the parking
lot by the Edgartown Yacht Club.

Chief Condlin advised people who are heading into town to walk or
bike if possible or take public transportation. For parade participants,
he said, parking at the school is limited this year due to construction
- he advises carpooling or public buses.