Fourth of July parades celebrated throughout the Valley

(WKBN) – Happy Birthday America! Our forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence 248 years ago.

On Thursday, July 4, we celebrate that day back in 1776 that honors the ideas of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

For most of us, that means backyard barbeques and, of course, a parade.

The idea to celebrate the Fourth of July with a parade started with our second president John Adams, who said the day should be solemnized with fireworks and celebrations “from one End of this Continent to the other.”

You can view the list of all the Fourth of July fireworks and events here.

Austintown

People were lined up early Thursday morning for the parade in Austintown along Raccoon Road.

The parade started at the corner of Kirk and Raccoon roads and ended at Austintown Middle School.

The band was featured in the parade and the first responders for the township also took part.

Canfield

We caught up with participants at 10 a.m., just as they were getting ready.

This year’s theme was “Celebrate Community.”

“The main thing is we just want everyone to have a good time, stay safe, for parents to keep track of the children and, for these parades, keep them out of the street,” said Canfield Police Chief Chuck Colucci. “At home, if there’s fireworks, just make sure there’s an adult around.”

This year’s grand marshal was Deb Roman, a longtime resident who has volunteered her time to the community for more than 40 years.

Howland

Howland held its annual Fourth of July parade, with an “Ode to Lady Liberty” theme.

Hundreds of people lined E. Market Street.

The township’s emergency responders, county sheriff’s deputies and the mounted unit all took part.

Some in the parade threw candy for the kids, and there was plenty of red, white and blue on display.

Coming to the parade has become a tradition for many.

“I love the Fourth of July parade, it’s one of my favorite times of the year,” Gianna Pishotti said. “We don’t even catch candy anymore. We don’t even have kids with us anymore. It’s just seeing people that we know. It’s such a small-town feeling and I just love the parade.”

“This is more of a family thing for all of us,” Micah Grayson said. “I’ve done it since I think I was literally an infant. I was in my mom’s hands just crying and whining, the whole entire thing.”

“Everybody comes out and you get to see people,” Pishotti said. “I get to see people I went to high school with, people I saw in college, people I just see around, our neighbors. And I love being able to see our neighbors in the floats, and waving to them and them throwing us candy. It’s just, I love it every single year.”

The parade route spans 1.5 miles, beginning from the Hunter Square Plaza and ending at Howland High School.

Struthers

The celebration in Struthers is a yearly event that the whole community looks forward to.

The streets were painted red, white and blue.

“It is one of the biggest events, if not the biggest event, that we have all year,” said Mayor Catherine Cercone Miller.

For 47 years now, the Fourth of July parade has been a highlight of the holiday, drawing residents of all ages out for the sights and sounds — and, of course, candy.

“Everybody’s excited, it seems, especially the kids. They enjoy the candy. The little ones do,” Rodney McMeans said.

Before the parade even stepped off, hundreds lined the streets through town to save their spot, ensuring they had a good view to take in all the action.

“It gets crowded so you’ve got to show up early,” McMeans said. “We were here about an hour early, before it kicked off.”

With roughly 90 floats and hundreds more volunteers hitching a ride, the show of support from the entire community was a sweet sight.

“It’s a big sense of pride for us because this is family. This is tradition. This is everybody coming together to have a good time and celebrate,” Cercone Miller said.

Struthers showed off what’s best about the Fourth of July in a small town.

“Every year, we come out here and enjoy ourselves with everybody else, with our community,” McMeans said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKBN.com.