Laconia neighborhood building on tradition of holding its own 4th of July parade

LACONIA — What started out as a small spin by around the neighborhood by a bunch of children on their decorated bicycles to celebrate the Fourth of July has become an major holiday event for the Windmill Shores Community Association.

Windmill Shores is a neighborhood located between Old North Main Street and Lake Opechee.

"It was about six or seven years ago. The kids wanted to do something special on the holiday so we told them just go ahead and have a parade . .  . and it’s got bigger ever since. We’ve even had a privately-owned fire truck and a police cruiser leading the parade with flashing blue lights,’’ said Buddy Daigneault, who helped carry the WSCA banner in Monday’s parade.

"There were only five or 10 kids to start with. Now everyone in the neighborhood looks forward to it,’’ he said.

There was no police cruiser yesterday, but there was something new this year as two of the Morningside Drive area residents who are in their 90s rode on the "Honored Guests’’ float, a decorated golf cart which featured American flags and red, white and blue bunting.

Mary Wadsworth, 90, who has been a resident of the neighborhood for 55 years, rode on the float, which was piloted by Cathy Stafford, along with Mildred Walton, 94, a neighborhood resident for 20 years.

Both were having a great time as the golf cart pulled into the line of march, directly behind a costumed Uncle Sam, riding on a lawn mower. Leading the parade as usual were Alan and Betty Gauthier in the Grand Marshall’s car, a red MG.

There were dozens of bikes decorated by neighborhood children taking part in the parade, along with many pedal cars. Bringing up the rear were a dozen or so lawn tractors, known by their riders as "mean machines’’ and which had been relegated to the end of the parade so that their engine noise wouldn’t compete with the marching music emanating from the Grand Marshall’s car.

"This is a big event, When my son John was only four he thought it was the coolest thing there was,’’ said David Wadsworth of New York City, who was visiting with his mother, Mary, for the holiday.

"We come up whenever we can during the summer and this year Tamara and I brought guests from France, Switzerland and Russia with us. As a matter of fact, they’re riding bikes with American flags on them in the parade,’’ said Wadsworth.

After the parade Olivier Soulet of France, Julia Grishina of Switzerland and Alexei Smirnov and Nicole Zelyez of Russia said that they enjoyed it and would like to take part in it again.

"I guess you could say that the parade has become an international drawing card,’’ said Wadsworth.

CAPTION: Mary Wadsworth, 90, and Mildred Walton, 94, rode in a golf cart driven by Cathy Stafford in the annual Windmill Shores Community Association July 4th parade. (Roger Amsden/for The Laconia Daily Sun)