Gill, veterans to lead People's Parade

by Winston Jones/Times-Georgian Times Georgian

It?s an election year, so organizers of the 35th annual July 4 Carrollton People?s Parade are expecting greater participation in next month?s event.

The Carrollton Evening Sertoma Club, which sponsors the parade, is accepting entries and has named Jim Gill as this year?s grand marshal. Gill is serving as interim vice president of advancement at the University of West Georgia.

The fireworks display that night will be between 9-9:30 p.m., following the Carroll Symphony Orchestra?s Sounds of Liberty concert at 8:15 p.m. on the Carrollton Elementary School front lawn on Ben Scott Boulevard. Concert visitors are asked to arrive early since parking on and around the school campus will be limited.

The application deadline for the parade is June 22 and the entry fee is $45 for a float up to 75 feet long. A $15 late fee will be added after the deadline.

Parade coordinator Rebecca Smith said additional charges will also be made for longer float entries, extra vehicles and additional walkers. Entries for horses will be limited, she added.

In addition to the standard entry fees, the first five available slots (after grand marshal, veterans and T-shirt sponsor) will be raffled off to the highest bidder. Smith said people who are bidding for the places should indicate it on their application forms and email their bids to rsmithjos@hotmail.com.

?The deadline to bid is June 27 and no bids will be accepted by phone,? Smith said. ?All other entries in the parade are on a first-come, first-served basis and all entries participate at the sole discretion of the parade committee.?

Floats will compete in five categories: large business, small business, church, civic and individual, with awards given to first and second place winners. First place winners in each category will compete for the eighth annual Community Spirit Award cup.

Entry forms are available by calling Smith at 770-830-6600 or by e-mail to rsmithjos@hotmail.com.

Line-up for the parade will begin at 9 a.m., with the parade starting at 10 a.m. from Dairy Queen on U.S. Highway 27, then moving along Maple Street, through Adamson Square and ending at the Kmart parking lot off Bankhead Highway.

The parade will feature marching bands from Carrollton and Central high schools, horses and characters, such as the Chick-fil-A cow. Kylo Almon will finish the parade with a finale on a horse.

?Veterans will play a large role in leading the parade,? Smith said. ?The American Legion Post 143 will carry the flag, and will be followed by members of the Carroll County Veterans Memorial Park, World War II veteran Orin Whitman, Marine Corps League Aubrey Gilbert Detachment 1312 and the Young West Georgia Marines.?

Nolan Williams and Will Rice, students from Central Middle School who won the 2012 People?s Parade T-shirt design contest, will carry the Sertoma Club banner. People interested in purchasing one of the T-shirts can contact Smith.

The fireworks that night will be shot from the practice field near Carrollton Junior High School. Sponsors of the fireworks display will again be the Carrollton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and Tanner Health System.

Jonathan Dorsey, CVB executive director, said the fireworks this year will be shot to a higher altitude so they can be viewed at further distances away.

?In the past, the fireworks show has been a mix of lower altitude shots and higher ones,? Dorsey said. ?The lower ones were visible to the concert patrons, but not to people watching further out. This year, we?re eliminating the low shots and sending them all higher.?

The fireworks show will last about 20 minutes and can be viewed from many areas, including the downtown parking decks and business parking lots in several locations near the Highway 166 Bypass.

More information about the fireworks show is available by calling the CVB at 770-214-9746 or by e-mail at visit@carrollton-ga.gov.

The history of the Carrollton People?s Parade dates back to 1977, after the city had held a big bicentennial Fourth of July celebration in 1976.

No plans were being made in 1977 for a parade. Local radio announcer Michael Styles made a comment on his talk show one day that it was a shame that Carrollton would not have a Fourth of July parade. That generated a lot of calls to the station and one resident Faye Phillips said, ?Why don?t we have a People?s Parade??

So Styles gave the People?s Parade publicity and residents started rounding up participants. Then-police Chief Jack Bell issued a permit. The city recreation department loaned a two-ton truck, Peoples Bank gave $50 for watermelons, the police sent a car for the parade and Shady Grove Stables donated hay and loaned horses for people to ride. The parade marched from the square, down Stewart Street to Lake Carroll. In absence of a band, some marchers carried pots and pans to provide percussion for the parade.

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