Community Corner

Live Blog Recap: Catonsville 65th Annual Fourth of July Parade

Thousands Line Frederick Road for the event.

(Updated 4:45 p.m.) The final marchers have passed and people are starting to leave Frederick Road. Don't forget to check back with Patch later tonight and tomorrow morning for even more photos and video from today's festivities. Enjoy the fireworks!

(Updated 4:15 p.m.) All of the politicians marching in this year's parade aren't running for office, so they may have been a little more relaxed.

We've had lots of bands in this year's parade and some great floats. Catonsville Elementary School made a over-sized Adirondack-style chair for their float. It was painted in red, white and blue.

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A fair amount of marchers have broken the rules and have been carrying squirt guns and passing out candy. Do you enjoy being squirted in the crowd?

Bob Krabbe and Mike McGinty were sitting with friends and family in a viewing stand, comfortable under a tent, and refreshed with a cooler of drinks.  They held up the raffle ticket that won them their private seats from the Men’s Club of Catonsville fundraiser. 

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“We bought the tickets at the Appaloosa concert last Friday night and we won!”  They were reminiscing that they had never had it so good.  “My father used to bring us down when we were kids.  I’m used to sitting on the steaming hot curb!” said McGinty.

(Updated 3:45 p.m.) So far we've had the fire trucks blare through, as well as the winners of Catonsville's Show Us Your Chair contest.

Probably the funniest site was seeing resident Keith Lippert reclining in his ', which received the spirit award.

(3 p.m.) Tens of thousands of residents are set up along Frederick Road for the annual parade, which starts at 3 p.m.

All the side streets along the parade route were lined with cars and people loaned their driveways and front lawns to friends for parking.  Moon bounces and wading pools sprang up in back yards, and drinks and food were ready for the party after the parade.

People walking to the parade with chairs, coolers, and kids in tow heard cherry bombs exploding and dogs barking. 

On the Knights of Columbus hillside, Wayne McCoullough and Tom Walsh were arguing about who was the chief cook (each said he wasn’t).  They had been cooking since 10 a.m., getting ready to “feed the troops” as part of their annual fundraiser.  “We made about a thousand sandwiches yesterday,” said Walsh.

Caroline and Kate Wilkins, who sported matching dresses for their first hometown parade, enjoyed snow-balls while they waited for the parade to start.  Their mother was happy that the family can finally come to the parade now that “nobody needs an afternoon nap.”

Along Montrose Avenue, marchers and other entries lined up for the event, which is organized by the Catonsville Fourth of July committee.

Baltimore residents Frank Conlan and Ray Iturralde are pedaling in the Ankhers Away Egyptian float. The float was constructed for the kinetic sculpture race held every year in Baltimore, which involves moving the float through obstacles around the city.

Conlan and Iturralde said they are looking forward to marching in their first parade.

"This is a piece of cake," Iturralde said. 'We don't have any mud or sand to go through."

Along Frederick Road, residents are decked out in red, white and blue and waiting for the parade to step off. Crowds started forming in the late morning hours and most prime viewing spots along Frederick Road are taken.

Parade watchers are sitting on blankets, chairs, bleachers and even scaffolding along the route. Vendors are selling snow cones and other cool treats. A few children have also set up lemonade stands.


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