CRESWELL — It started with a thunderous sound that reverberated through the air as thousands poured into the streets of Creswell for the annual Fourth of July parade.
The planned military flyover was making its round and eliciting a synchronous roar of applause and cheers.
Following the explosive kick off at 11 a.m. were marching local organizations, departments, school bands and cheerleaders, loggers, vintage cars, water squirters, candy tossers and bubble blowers.
As well as the fun surprises and goodies for kids, the parade also featured educational and historical floats, along with community organizations that locals can get involved with.
There was the local fire department, the Creswell Boy Scouts, the Lane County Sheriff’s Office horseback Mounted Posse, Rosie the Riveters, and a protest float calling for justice for Eddie Dungan.
Holt Park was bustling
Following the parade, the crowds filtered into Harry Holt Memorial Park, where attendees soaked up the sun in the grass amid live music, with a bustling playground and diverse food carts.
Pleasant Hill resident, Blake Zolezzi, said he enjoyed the historical aspect of the parade the most.
“This is our first year watching the parade,” he said. “I thought it was fantastic. The community turnout was amazing. The participants were amazing. But most of all, the classic cars and the value of historical things here were beautiful. Creswell really values history and keeps it relevant. The community aspect is also really inviting and I like the ‘main street town’ vibe right off of I-5.”
Zolezzi said the main appeal was the family focus of the event and to have an engaging event for his 5-year-old daughter, Lily. She was seen eating candy and asking her dad to try different flavors of lollipops.
“I wanted her to come watch the parade, get candy, be around other kids, all the fun,” he said. “She had a blast because waving at everybody and scooping up all the candy. I mean, what more can a parent ask for?”
For Springfield veteran Jesse McCluskey, he was most drawn to the flyover for Creswell’s Fourth of July activities.
“I Googled ‘military flyovers’ and this was the first one on the list,” he said. “For me, it’s important to be patriotic on The Fourth of July, especially with me serving for 10 years. But I also try not to take myself too seriously. What I look forward to the most is having a nice, relaxing day off and spending time with family and friends. But I am glad I was able to expose my kids to the flyover and the military.”
In his first year, the Thurston alumnus had brought his 14-year-old daughter and her friend. They also both relished the fan favorite candy tossers.
“They ate a lot of candy, but the water squirters were probably our favorite,” McCluskey said. “I was overall surprised by how big the parade was. It had so much involvement.”
Mothers Megan Foote and Abby Clemmons have been attending the parade for 16 years now. They both noted the rise in crowds since Covid.
“It’s definitely gotten bigger,” Foote said. “And now adding the rodeo, the flyover, the fireworks, and all these countless things, it really attracts crowds.”
Foote and Clemmons said they’re favorite thing about celebrating The Fourth of July in a small town like Creswell is that each year it feels like “a Hallmark movie.”
“Especially with the tradition, the same people, the same community,” Clemmons said.
Foote and Clemmons had been attending the parade together ever since their kids were born. They noted that their kids’ favorites were always the water squirters. Now that their kids are teenagers, regardless of whether their enthusiasm wanes, they still plan to attend the event together as a tradition.
“It’s something we still plan to do together for years,” Foote said.
The evening was capped off by a grand fireworks display as the night fell at Creswell High School.
