A story in Good Housekeeping magazine twenty years ago about a small neighborhood holiday parade inspired Debbie Heidel to initiate a similar tradition for July 4 in her Pentwater neighborhood. “I thought it sounded like fun,” she said.
What she and her husband Mark started with just two families marching a couple of blocks on Rutledge Street has thrived. Today this neighborhood parade begins at the corner of 5th Street and South Rutledge, continues south to Park Street, turns to Hancock Street, goes north to the marina and then returns to 5th and Rutledge.
“We begin to gather at 10:15 a.m. and start walking our route at 10:30 a.m. We recite the Pledge of Allegiance and appoint a flag bearer to lead the group. Our number of participants grows, collecting neighbors as we go,” Heidel reported. “We have perhaps 90 people by the time we finish. Then we have a hot dog roast hosted at our house and across the street at Bill and Louise Huntoon’s house. The merchants on Hancock Street are always kind and supportive as we crowd the sidewalks in front of their stores. We are usually done with lunch at 12:30 p.m.”
The Heidels came from Flint, and the Huntoons are from Grand Ledge, and they have friends from both areas who join the parade. The friends usually come from their campsites at Charles Mears State Park or Hill & Hollow Campground to participate. Asked what the group does as they march, Heidel chuckled and replied, “We wave flags and cheer. We call out ‘Happy birthday, America.’ We play some recorded music. We shout ‘Happy 4th of July’ to neighbors, and the kids throw candy to children we pass on our way. We smile and laugh and make happy noise. Downtown sometimes people respond by honking their horns or waving back at us.”
By simply using the sidewalk, the group needs no permits for blocking roads. Even though families with young children participate, decorating and riding bikes has not been part of the tradition. Heidel shared, “With many of us in our 60s and older, walking is the safest mode for us.”
Recent newcomers were delighted to discover the neighborhood tradition last July 4. Fred and Donna DeGraaf enthused, “We saw all these folks walking by who invited us to join them. How many places can you live where a friendly neighborhood tradition like this exists?”
