Wakefield Fourth of July celebration draws all ages

WAKEFIELD — Wakefield’s Sunday Lake Street was lined with lawn chairs Monday as residents came out to see the city’s Fourth of July parade celebrating the country’s independence.

The parades began shortly before 1 p.m. with the city’s annual kids parade, where a group of youngsters rode scooters, bicycles and wagons down the street. This was followed by a classic car cruise and then the larger parade.

The parade featured all the staples people have come to expect — including several of the county’s volunteer fire departments; marching routines by the Ironwood, Bessemer and Wakefield-Marenisco marching bands and a performance from Marty’s Goldenaires.

This year was the first time Jack Parks, 7, of Chicago, attended the city’s parade.

He had fun, saying he particularly enjoying “when (the parade participants) threw candy.”

He was also a fan of the live music, saying it was better than the parades he has seen in Chicago.

Monday’s parades were a continuation of the celebration in the city, which began Friday with live music downtown and continued Saturday with the Home Town Variety Show. Sunday featured a town picnic and fireworks display.

Earlier Monday, the city started festivities off bright and early with a salute by the fireworks committee and the Sunday Lake Walk-Run prior to the parades.

The winning number for the Wakefield Fourth of July 50-50 is 1853. The prize was unknown at press time. Mayor Joe DelFavero said all 40,000 tickets had been sold, but organizers were still determining expenses of the game before setting the winning amount.