Annual Let Freedom Ring Parade Returns to Marietta Square

MARIETTA — Stars and stripes filled Marietta Square Thursday morning as the city celebrated its Fourth of July festivities with the annual Let Freedom Ring parade.

Despite the heat advisory, thousands of spectators showed up to see around 92 entries and nearly 16,000 participants parade along Roswell Street and through the heart of downtown, according to Emily Zillweger, the city’s special events coordinator.

“We also had at least 100 people watching the parade livestream from a multitude of different countries,” Zillweger said.

When attendees started claiming their seats around 9 a.m., temperatures were around 79 degrees. By the time the parade ended after 11 a.m., temperatures had risen to 86 degrees, with a heat index of 94 degrees, causing many attendees to retreat to the shaded park.

Helping lead the parade was retired Marietta school teacher Beth Graham, who was named this year’s grand marshal for her longtime commitment to the school system and community.

Parading the 1.5 miles from Roswell Street Baptist Church to North Marietta Parkway were beauty queens, miniature ponies, classic cars, first responders, veteran groups, politicians, restaurant owners and more.

Despite living in Marietta all her life, Ashley Thompson had never attended the parade before Thursday. In the past, she and her family had attended nearby Fourth of July celebrations in Powder Springs and Kennesaw.

“I’ve heard how great it is and I’ve heard how huge the turnout is. I (said) let’s go try it because every time we go somewhere else, it’s not as good,” Thompson said.

Thompson staked out the family’s front row seats nearly an hour before the parade started. Afterward, she and her family planned to pitch a tent in the park to escape the heat and enjoy the rest of the celebration.

The parade was also a first for Felix Menendez, who moved to Marietta from Spain seven years ago.

“My parents are visiting from Spain and we wanted to do something traditional,” Menendez said. “We do parades in Spain but here it’s typical American style how the civil society is represented. Even politicians have their thing.”

While the parade was run similarly to previous years, the lineup was slightly different, Zillweger said.

“This year is different because it’s an election year so there were more entries that were politically based,” she said.

Menendez said his parents were loving the experience and were especially amazed by the “Southern belles.”

Throughout the day, the fan favorite among children and adults were these “Southern belles” — the Mobile Azalea Trail Maids, a group of high school seniors from Mobile, Alabama wearing extravagant pastel antebellum-style dresses.

Darrell Montgomery has been attending the parade with his family since they moved to Marietta six years ago. He said he keeps coming back for the fun atmosphere, but his daughters always look forward to seeing the Trail Maids.

Rachel Warhurst, of east Cobb, and her daughter, Lillie Joy, 4, cooled off with some popsicles while they watched the parade for the first time. Warhust said she loved everything she saw, but her daughter’s favorites were the old cars.

“I loved the (trail maids). That was so cool, I didn’t even know that was a thing,” Warhurst said.

However, to Warhurst, whose great grandfather served in World War II, the parade wasn’t just about cool cars and costumes.

“It helps us remember and continue to be grateful for the military and their families and the sacrifices they make daily so that we can have the freedoms that we have,” Warhurst said. “We’re indebted to them.”

Veteran Philip Forsberg was on the sidelines of the parade, helping give out water and raise money for the Vietnam Veterans Association and the Cobb Veterans Memorial Foundation.

While he was not in the Vietnam War, Forsberg served in the United States Army for 29 years.

“We’re here to honor our veterans and celebrate America, which we love and we fought for. All of us have friends and colleagues that we served with who gave the ultimate sacrifice,” Forsberg said. “On the Fourth of July, we said that God gave us these rights, but it was our armed forces that secured them.”