Thousands of spectators lined downtown streets Thursday for the annual Edmonds Chamber of Commerce Fourth of July parade — a small-town tradition that has been around since 1907. Veterans proudly marched, horses deftly pranced and school musicans kept the beat, much to the delight of an enthusiastic crowd of onlookers.
The chamber also announced the following award winners from the more than 100 parade entries:
Most Patriotic: North Sound Church
Most Original: Pacific Little League Softball All-Stars
Funniest: Edmonds Running Club
Best Decorated: Emerald Sea Sirens
Chamber Trophy: Workhorse Co-Working
— Photos by Julia Wiese unless otherwise noted
Great parade today, missing firework show at Civic Park tonight? Happy to lead fundraising next year to bring Firework show back to Civic Park and return an Edmonds Tradition that seems to have been lost since Covid pandemic, park construction delays, and now city financial problems as a reason Edmonds is not hosting a Firework show in 2024.
Great News for Food Bank then, if it’s true?, I believe you’re confusing this donation with our local Rotary. I Still want Edmonds to return to its traditions and I don’t see other communities forfeiting their firework show to raise money for other good causes. Waste of money is a matter of perspective. Our city just gave $100k to the owner of the “Landmark project” property, reserving a property that is not even listed. $100k could have funded 3 years of hosting a firework show, in our new gorgeous Civic park. I recall the Civic park design group mentioning elevated grassy knolls would be great for people to sit to watch our future firework shows at this location.
If we are never to going to host a firework show again in Edmonds, I would like to have a community discussion about it. Kingston had a great show last night BTW.
Count us in on fundraising for fireworks! I think many businesses would jump at the chance to bring our own traditional fireworks show back!
Is my memory mistaken or didn’t a house on 7th burn to the ground after a fireworks show about 35 years ago? It is too crowded around Civic park, a bad idea all around to host a fireworks show there. The fireworks at Ballinger and Kingston are both over water which is a lot safer.
This has always been such a fun community parade to look forward to each July. The majority of the participants helped make this a beautiful event Edmonds can be proud of! However, it is beyond me how the half dressed women, touting a name something like “ to honor Princess Leah” made it in the line up. They were clearly moving around in a sexually explicit way. One woman was completely exposing her buttocks.
Where is our common sense and decency? Have we come so far as a city as to tolerate adults showing their nakedness to our children, without any shame?
I think the chamber decided it was more effective to give the money (approximately $35,000) to the food bank or other charities that desperately need funds, and not waste the money on fireworks.
Y’all forgot to add the ladies that were parading around the kids in lingerie
We are all on the same page at the parade. Everyone respects our flag and from what I saw respected each other.
One day a year, it feels so good.. May God continue to bless America.
I’m thrilled not to have animals and people with PTSD traumatized by fireworks! (And there is the environmental pollution of fireworks as well!)
There are so many places that need help, and giving the money that would be wasted on fireworks to charities is truly patriotic!
Helping and respecting one another is a keystone of our democracy and country!
The parade was marvelous! The crowd was full of enthusiasm and the decoratated floats were so creative this year.
I love fireworks and bringing them back for the vast majority who love them is a great way to invest in our community.
For the most part, the 2024 Edmonds 4th of July parade was fun and festive. Sadly, I was disappointed to see parade entry #64 displaying a large “Appeal To Heaven” flag and for what it represents in our current political discourse.
The ‘Appeal To Heaven’ flag cherishes American values and the pursuit of liberty. According to John Locke, “If there is no appeal on earth, you look to a higher power.” I do every day. What’s wrong with that?
The ATH flag was carried by many who ravaged the capitol on Jan 6, 2021 to try and stop the peaceful transfer of power…a landmark of our democracy. I have a problem with that.
It’s difficult to understand the symbolic relevance of the ATH flag. Locke was an Englishman born in the 1600s, and a nexus with central modern American values is not obvious to me. I guess it depends on what is in the eye of the beholder.
Happy 4th weekend!!
What a wonderful 4th of July parade by our hometown Edmonds! As members of American Legion Post 66 and VFW Post 8870, we were all proud to again participate in the parade, and pass out flags to many of the kids in attendance. It is so heartwarming to hear the applause of the crowd who stand and cheer us as we pass by them, and when they thank us for our service. We veterans appreciate your thanks with all our hearts. We were also grateful for the many folks to came to your Hall for our community picnic to enjoy free hamburgers and other treats. Please plan to join us again next year for another community picnic!
Dan Mullene, Commander, American Legion Post 66, and Duane Bowman, Commander, VFW Post 8870
We live facing the Bell Street alley. In years past, our property was routinely trespassed on the 4th of July by the many people gathering in the alley prior to the fireworks display. They were often drunk and combative, walked down our private walkways as a shortcut, stood in our driveways, and tried to pee in our garden. In the final year of the fireworks and out of desperation, we, along with a neighbor, blocked our driveways with trucks parked sideways, strung caution tape where there were gaps, and blocked our walkways with traffic cones. The fireworks themselves always left debris on our rooftops, sidewalks, and gardens that we picked up for months afterwards, not to mention the live embers that streamed down on our roofs during the display. The past few years without the fireworks have been a welcome relief – we’ve haven’t had to dread the 4th for days in advance and can relax and enjoy the holiday like everyone else. Hope it never comes back!
I was thrilled to see Teresa Wippel named Grand Marshal this year. Well deserved
Does anyone know who or which organization decides which organizations get to be in the parade?