THE WELLS RIVER-WOODSVILLE JULY 4th PARADE ALWAYS FEATURED MANY PROUD VETERANS.

By Bernie Marvin

THE WELLS RIVER-WOODSVILLE JULY 4th PARADE ALWAYS FEATURED MANY PROUD VETERANS. SOME ARE NOW GONE, MANY REMAIN, BUT FOR EACH, EVERY NAME AND SACRIFICE WILL ALWAYS REMAIN WITH US.

The classic Wells River-Woodsville July 4th Parade has stretched along Central Street from the area of Route 10 and 302 junction for many years. For those early years, the parade assembled at the sawmill and at Montibello Street, with some units joining from the former Butson's parking lot.

For many years, our area veterans’ group would fall in, accompanied by a military history float, marchers, family members, and friends. As I recall from my many marches in this parade, the weather was usually beautiful. I've never marched the route in the rain. Enthusiastic crowds packed the long street, cheering and offering our troops and float participants cold water or a famous Hatchland chocolate milk along the way.

It was always a wonderful experience to gather with my fellow veterans and friends at either Butson's parking lot (now Shaw's) or Walter Young's sawmill (now Walmart), and at exactly 11 AM, step off onto Central Street and get the show on the road.

For public health reasons in view of the dangerous virus in 2020, the local Woodsville-Wells River parade, like parades throughout the nation, was called off. This is the first time I can remember since at least 1978 or so that the streets were not filled with thousands of onlookers on July 4.

For this week's special Independence Day holiday parade, I devised my own personal parade, a make-believe parade recalling some of the many people who assisted our veterans and me in creating and getting the stunning float or floats onto the street headed towards Wells River. The first of many floats I was part of was in 1988, when we created a replica of the Iwo Jima flag-raising during World War II.

It was a wonderful pageant, complete with bronze camouflage paint, authentic battle uniforms, and the weapons and equipment depicted in the famous photograph taken by Joe Rosenthal, whom I met on two occasions as our special guest during our Marine Corps combat photographers' reunions in Washington, DC.

So, please join me as our vehicles, floats, and marching troops, complete with our own drum group led by the talented John Hobbs, beat out the sounds of freedom and independence as we begin our trek amid thousands of parade viewers who shout out and applaud our efforts.

But wait, we have to wait for the proper time to join in the line of march. This year's parade organizers, Julius Tueckhardt and Charlie Smith, are assigning positions, but as usual, we will sneak into the line of march right here behind the best band in America, the Woodsville High School Marching Band, led by Maestro David Heintz. We do this every year. Tuck was never pleased about us joining the parade out of his direct orders, but the WHS band was always superb, and their cadence helped us glide down the street. I told Tuck it wouldn't ever happen again. Honest! Wink-wink.

Getting this float and the veterans to one place at the same time is never easy. But they always show up, some in uniform, some in parts of a uniform, always proud of their town and this great parade. I recall Bruce Robbins, Nancy and Bill Cowells, Mary Anne Dellinger, and a host of others, like Paul Mayette, Charlie Hanson, and Wayne Minnick, the VFW, and the American Legion, to mention a few, who began planning the July 4th parades again in about 1979 or 1980, maybe earlier.

So, as we head down the hill, I see Jack Graham walking the streets dressed as Uncle Sam. Also, along the parade route is that skipity hopping naughty bunny rabbit, darting here and there to everyone's delight. Sure enough, Frank Stiegler will be in that bunny suit. And then here comes Mike Thomas on another Rube Goldberg bicycle machine that Mike invented. He has done this every year of the parade, and it is always a big hit with the folks along the way!

We could not have created our floats without the help and guidance of Bob Clifford and his son, Richard. The ones responsible for scrounging up gear, transportation, and weapons are here with us: Jay Holden, Howard Hatch, John Wolter, Ed Peterson, Spencer Marvin, Bernie Marvin III, Polly Marvin, Charles Nelson, and David Johnson, Jr.

Oh, look, there's the selectmen's open vehicle with Rich Kinder, Ernie Towne and John Farnham and Harry Simano I see on the sidelines with the crowd the familiar faces of folks who helped us out with advice and guidance over the years; Grafton County Sheriff Herb Ash, Arthur Cheney, Larry Lasseigne, Doc Bailey, Bruce Newton, and Bob Simblest, Charlie Barry, Doug Dutile and Jeff Stiegler. What a crew. Wow, talk about spirit and shaking hands. Wonderful.

We have a slew of veterans with us, including Larry Hart, Lawrence Hart, Russ Gover, Bruce Newton, Ryland Guay, Reverend Dwight Wright, Bob Ellsworth, Dick Waterman, Vern Dingman, Russell Page, and Herb Morse. Thanks for your help, as usual. Couldn't do it without you. And Ginny Williams and Thelma Wilson.

As always, we have plenty of family members to assist with the show. On the floats, I see Patrick, Alex, Marissa, and Veronica Marvin. Assisting with the logistics of building, moving, and decorating these floats, plus offering advice from their experiences in life or in the military over the years, I see Jimmy Frezza, Bill Simpson, Alden Brown, Reggie Hunt, David Johnson, Sr., Ed Laviletta, Glenn Mitchell, Dean Rowden, and Bill Fortier.

We are marching past Maple, Pine, and Elm streets. See the Haverhill Police all along there, holding back traffic, saluting the American flags as they pass by. I carefully glance slightly to the left and see Chief Steve Savage, Ed Savoy, Jeff Williams, Terry Alexander, and Wally George.

A little further down the street, Charles Nelson, oh, look, there's Karen Nelson, Tom Chase, Bill Horne, and Ron Fournier. Some of them are talking to Jim Walker, who has once again given the veterans a classic car to carry some of the older veterans in the parade. Harvey Walker, too, has given cars to veterans. Thanks, fellas.

On Elm Street, a guy is feeling faint in the bright sun. With him are Haverhill officers Alan Wright, Roy and Robin Irwin, Cecil Smith, and Harvey Wayne Dickey and Myron Mueller. John Bagonzi comes over to us during a halt, and we shoot the breeze. It is always good to talk to Coach and Captain John.

Then we see others come over to chat. Howdy, folks, I say. Wow, it is Irv Coon, Bill Simpson, Wayne Fortier, Rusty Tattersall, Babe Ackerman, Dave Moore, Jean Putbam, Earl Aremburg, Leeds Ackerman, Dick Waterman, Larry Elliott, Steve Wheeler, Mike Conrad, and Bob Adams. What a good group.

Near the reviewing stand, we get ready to give the judges a show of our pride in what we do when we participate in our July 4th parades. We halt, perform precision facing movements, render the military courtesy of a hand salute, another facing movement, and off we go, over the bridge to Vermont.

I sneak a peek, and there are George Clark, Steve Seminerio, Terry Robie, Al Sponheimer, Arnold Shields, Dean Page, Mike Blair, Norm Provost, Herb Reardon, Tony Kelley and Bud Otterman. Also marching, I am always glad to see Barb Dunn and her Cubs and Scouts, marching with American flags, lots of American flags. Thanks, Barb!

Just over the bridge, we have more folks who have assisted and contributed their time to our success in winning prizes for what we do in these July 4th parades and other ceremonies. I wink and give a thumbs up to Dr. Harry Rowe, Gerry Florentine, Ken and Marilyn Fuller, Everett Henson, Bill Englert, Eleanor Spiller, John Roden, George Karner, Frank O'Malley, and Paul Lamott.

There's a gaggle of veterans over there by Hovey's. They said they enjoy the parades in Woodsville, as well as those in their individual towns. There are a lot of town parades to march in, for sure, like in Piermont, Fairlee, Groton, Orford, Bath, Lisbon, and all over, depending on which holiday you choose.

I see a lot of vets and their families at other parades, ceremonies and observations throughout the year, including Bill Koch, John Koch, Mike Heaney, Lew Nichols, Walter Cottrell, Rich Dion, and Peter LaBounty.

Wait, here are more of them. Like at Aldrich General Store with Phil Tucker, whose dad, Paul, was a veteran and also a longtime store employee, and Fred Robinson, who was working there for 50 years in 1996. Also enjoying coffee were Bob Giuda, George Tompkins, Fred Shipman, Mike Marshalls, Steve Robbins, Tim Cole, and John Page.

We have come to the end of my parade. It was a good march down Central Street, seeing many friends along the way, and to be reminded about others who helped put together a wide array of military floats over the years that depicted our armed forces in action and at the home front from the Revolutionary War right through to Iraq and Afghanistan and beyond. Many of those friends I mentioned are gone, but their spirit of commitment and dedication to the cause lives on.

Can't seem to get out of town without chatting or shaking hands with Harvey Keyes, Rick Ladd, Wayne Mitchell, Dale Pierson, John O'Brien, Deane Page, Ollie Brooks, and Lloyd Donnellan.

Thanks for marching with us and showing the wonder of freedom, spirit, and independence.