Bala Cynwyd holds a homegrown parade to celebrate the Fourth
The Independence Day Celebration in Bala Cynwyd is focused on bringing the community together. For one day, residents of all ages, backgrounds and socio-economic statuses celebrate this country, and some of them might become new members of the local association sponsoring the festivities.
Celebration chair and Neighborhood Club of Bala Cynwyd President Anne Greenhalgh has been heading up the parade since 1996. She calls it a “slice of Americana — very hometown, and very grass roots. That’s why I think I fell in love with it.”
Starting at the Union Fire Association on Montgomery Avenue, the short parade route meanders for about 45 minutes until it arrives at Bala Cynwyd Playground, a township park, across from West Laurel Hill Cemetery on Belmont Avenue. Hundreds of children, riding bicycles decked out with patriotic flair, take part in the parade, as do fire trucks, antique cars and people in costume. Sometimes the parade is lucky enough to feature a local marching band and a horse-drawn hearse provided by the cemetery, Greenhalgh said.
The parade concludes with a 15-minute patriotic ceremony at the playground, including music and a flag-raising by Boy Scouts of America, Bala-One, the oldest troop in the country. A local singer will belt out “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the citizen of the year and the merchant of the year will be honored, and a member of the clergy will finish off the ceremony with some inspirational remarks.
New to the parade this year will be a Marquis de Lafayette impersonator, portrayed by Lower Merion High School graduate Ben Goldman. De Lafayette was a wealthy French citizen who came to the colonies to aid in the Revolution, and a compatriot of Gen. George Washington.
“He’s going to give us a dramatic rendition of sorts,” Greenhalgh said.
Events at the playground include foot races, pony rides, a petting zoo, old-fashioned carnival games and the very popular couples’ egg toss.
About 35 middle school and high school students help Greenhalgh keep the event running smoothly. She said it’s their way of helping the community. And though Greenhalgh is fully immersed in the Bala Cynwyd’s civic association, she wasn’t always, and she attributes her involvement to the students she oversees as director of the undergraduate leadership program at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
“The program puts a huge emphasis on experiential learning,” she said. “In order to deliver that for the students, I ask my teams of students … to work on a field project with a service agency in the Philadelphia community. It’s by working with that service agency that they roll up their sleeves and they learn about their own leadership abilities, skills, and potential. I ask them to learn through service, and when I got involved in the program, I asked myself a hard question. ‘Anne, you’re asking all your students, hordes of them, to go out in the community and to do service. What are you doing?’”
Sponsored by the Neighborhood Club and its members’ dues, Greenhalgh said the main financial goal of the parade is to lose “the least amount of money possible.” She said the parade isn’t a fundraiser, but a “friend-raiser,” adding that she hopes the parade encourages more residents to join the Neighborhood Club.
Greenhalgh said she expects about 500 people to attend the parade and Independence Day ceremony. Registration for the parade begins at 8:45 a.m. at the Union Fire Association, 149 Montgomery Ave., with the parade starting 45 minutes later. For more information, visit www.balacynwyd.org.
Celebration chair and Neighborhood Club of Bala Cynwyd President Anne Greenhalgh has been heading up the parade since 1996. She calls it a “slice of Americana — very hometown, and very grass roots. That’s why I think I fell in love with it.”
Starting at the Union Fire Association on Montgomery Avenue, the short parade route meanders for about 45 minutes until it arrives at Bala Cynwyd Playground, a township park, across from West Laurel Hill Cemetery on Belmont Avenue. Hundreds of children, riding bicycles decked out with patriotic flair, take part in the parade, as do fire trucks, antique cars and people in costume. Sometimes the parade is lucky enough to feature a local marching band and a horse-drawn hearse provided by the cemetery, Greenhalgh said.
The parade concludes with a 15-minute patriotic ceremony at the playground, including music and a flag-raising by Boy Scouts of America, Bala-One, the oldest troop in the country. A local singer will belt out “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the citizen of the year and the merchant of the year will be honored, and a member of the clergy will finish off the ceremony with some inspirational remarks.
New to the parade this year will be a Marquis de Lafayette impersonator, portrayed by Lower Merion High School graduate Ben Goldman. De Lafayette was a wealthy French citizen who came to the colonies to aid in the Revolution, and a compatriot of Gen. George Washington.
“He’s going to give us a dramatic rendition of sorts,” Greenhalgh said.
Events at the playground include foot races, pony rides, a petting zoo, old-fashioned carnival games and the very popular couples’ egg toss.
About 35 middle school and high school students help Greenhalgh keep the event running smoothly. She said it’s their way of helping the community. And though Greenhalgh is fully immersed in the Bala Cynwyd’s civic association, she wasn’t always, and she attributes her involvement to the students she oversees as director of the undergraduate leadership program at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
“The program puts a huge emphasis on experiential learning,” she said. “In order to deliver that for the students, I ask my teams of students … to work on a field project with a service agency in the Philadelphia community. It’s by working with that service agency that they roll up their sleeves and they learn about their own leadership abilities, skills, and potential. I ask them to learn through service, and when I got involved in the program, I asked myself a hard question. ‘Anne, you’re asking all your students, hordes of them, to go out in the community and to do service. What are you doing?’”
Sponsored by the Neighborhood Club and its members’ dues, Greenhalgh said the main financial goal of the parade is to lose “the least amount of money possible.” She said the parade isn’t a fundraiser, but a “friend-raiser,” adding that she hopes the parade encourages more residents to join the Neighborhood Club.
Greenhalgh said she expects about 500 people to attend the parade and Independence Day ceremony. Registration for the parade begins at 8:45 a.m. at the Union Fire Association, 149 Montgomery Ave., with the parade starting 45 minutes later. For more information, visit www.balacynwyd.org.
