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Photo essay: Canonsburg’s outsized Fourth of July parade sees tens of thousands celebrate the nation’s history, spirit
By Stephanie Strasburg,
21 days ago
Two days before the first star spangled floats and marching bands of the Canonsburg 4th of July Parade plodded up the slopes of Pike Street, anticipatory rows of folding chairs laid claim to the street curbs. Come Thursday morning, tens of thousands of people packed the street’s parade route as the ringing of church bells, a rendition of the national anthem and the rumble of antique cars signaled the start of the procession through the Washington County town’s business district.
The annual Canonsburg parade started in 1963, when America was more than a bit different. John F. Kennedy was president amid the unrest of the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement, the use of ZIP codes had just been introduced, and there was only one “Wal-Mart Discount City” in the country. At that same time, Perry Como , born one of 13 children to an Italian millworker in Canonsburg, was hosting his successful NBC variety show, “Perry Como’s Kraft Music Hall.”
Since then, the town has made its own news in relation to industry booms and busts (and booms again). It has drawn other famous folk, including Pittsburgh’s Wiz Khalifa, who bought a home there in 2012. But it’s the local lore of leaders of the Whiskey Rebellion tearing open stolen federal mail sacks in the back room of the town’s Blackhorse Tavern that seems to tether the town to both the foundations and evolution of American history.
Fast forward to 2024, in an election year that calls us to continually question what it means to be American. The shoulder-to-shoulder scene at the Canonsburg 4th of July Parade offers a public forum to explore that meaning, in all its complicated packaging. PublicSource photojournalist Stephanie Strasburg headed to the parade to document the feeling at one of Pennsylvania’s largest Independence Day celebrations.
A festive crowd in front of the U.S. Post Office along Pike Street waits for the next float at the Canonsburg 4th of July Parade, Thursday, July 4, 2024. “The streets were extremely, extremely packed this year. We saw people squeezed where we don’t normally see people,” said Carmina V. Vitullo, the chairperson of the Canonsburg 4th of July committee. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource) An antique car driven by parade sponsor and dentist Dr. Bill Sulkowski, of Canonsburg, rides past the stores of the downtown. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource) The Valencic Brothers & Friends button box players provide the polka jams along Pike Street. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource) Ron and Jessica Campbell sit with their boney buddy along the parade route. Jessica Campbell says it’s Halloween for her all the time. “I call him George, he calls him Bones, whatever,” she said of the identification of their skeleton. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource) Mollie Fenk, Miss Cinderella Talent Pennsylvania 2024, of West Mifflin, rides on a float with her fellow Cinderella Pageant winners. Fenk’s winning talent is ballet, she said. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource) Children scramble to gather candy along the parade sidelines. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource) Revelers along the Canonsburg 4th of July Parade route shout along with a member of the The 1st Virginia Regiment of the Continental Line. The First Virginia Regiment is a group dedicated to portraying the soldiers and civilians of the Continental Army from the Revolutionary War. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource) People ride in porta-potties as a part of the Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop float. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource) From left, Asa Brooks, 7, Dylan Pareso, and Pareso’s son, Braxton, 2, all of Houston, pause their parade watching for a photo. Pareso was excited to get a matching outfit with Braxton for the festivities. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource) Drew Manko, right, of Eighty Four, reloads his gun as he marches with the The 1st Virginia Regiment of the Continental Line. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource) Canonsburg native Jesse Kaus, of Washington, brings the mullet power to the parade sidelines with his celebratory wig. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource) Lidia Romito leads the way for the Canon-McMillan Big Mac Band as they play their way through Canonsburg to applause from the crowd. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource) David Kozak of Canonsburg holds a fan on his 8-month-old daughter, Caroline, as she snoozes through the marching bands and commotion of the parade. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource) A group is all smiles as they drive from the parade as crowds disperse from the event. Parade officials estimated the crowd was in the 40,000 to 50,000 range. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource)
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