History

The Pittsfield 4th of July Parade has an historic reputation dating back to 1824, when the procession consisted of Revolutionary War survivors, patriots, politicians, and horse-drawn carriages. The parade was held off and on by various citizen groups until 1947 when it was taken over by the Pittsfield Permanent Firemen's Association. Under the firemen, the parade grew in size and popularity but was discontinued in 1976.

After a bleak 1977 with no parade, a small group of volunteer citizens obtained $2,000 seed money from the City of Pittsfield and held their first parade in 1978. Approximately 10,000 spectators watched the 60 units pass in formation. Over the years, this independent, non-profit organization -- the Pittsfield 4th of July Parade Committee, Inc. -- has grown in size, spirit, and determination, and with it, the parade has grown in size, quality, and popularity.

A live national television broadcast was a committee goal, and this was accomplished in 1989 when the Pittsfield 4th of July Parade became "Your Hometown America Parade" to millions of Public Broadcasting System viewers across the country. 1990 saw another milestone, as the Armed Forces Radio & Television Network broadcast the parade to 1.5 million service men and women and their families in 128 countries and territories around the world. YOUR HOMETOWN AMERICA PARADE has the distinction of being the ONLY 4th of July Parade broadcast live across the country and around the world.

Today, this committee of 30 year-round volunteers (who raise all the monies to finance the parade), along with dozens of parade day volunteers, choreographs this spectacle for the enjoyment of over 100,000 spectators who line the parade route as well as for the millions of television viewers. Spectators from across the nation have joined us to view this two-hour extravaganza of over 180 quality parade units.

Copyright © 1996 Zenn New Media, LLC