CANONSBURG - Although the penchant for saving seats in Canonsburg for the Fourth of July parade in Canonsburg is known far and wide, a fair number of spectators do just fine without going through what has become an annual ritual.
Janet Malik, a retiree from South Strabane Township, was nearly bursting with anticipation as she staked out one of 10 benches in front of the borough building about an hour before the 47th step-off.
"It's exciting," she said before the parade, which had more than 120 units, from fez-wearing Shriners to silver-gloved Chartiers-Houston junior cheerleaders performing to the late Michael Jackson's hit, "Beat It."
"I've been coming for several years. ... I just feel I have a reserved seat every time."
Taking a time out on the idle Canonsburg Idol stage nearby were Rich Sabol, Tom Smith and Marc Coleman. "We were thrown out of our chairs," Sabol said.
Residents of Pike Street, East or West, merely have to step outside their front doors to have a front-row seat for the annual two-hour extravaganza. With the rich scent of sauerkraut emanating from the kitchen of her home, Pam Maurer merely had to bring chairs from the basement for the 20-some guests at her porch party. While she was at it, she posted a "for sale" sign in front of her home of seven years, knowing it would receive priceless exposure on parade day.
Living on Pike or having a connection doesn't mean a worry-free Fourth, however. "If we can't find parking, we can't get here," said one of Maurer's guests, Kay Stutts of Peters Township.
Walking can be a challenge, too, and not just because the sidewalks are clogged. Parade day can be like a big reunion, discovered Debbie Lindberg of Peters Township, who stopped many times to hug old friends.
"I was born and raised here, and this is my first time ever at the parade," Lindberg said as she sat on Kathy Czmerda's lawn and watched a unicyclist juggle. "I don't know what took me so long. I can't get over how big this is! I just love it. Everybody's so friendly."
It was America's 233rd birthday party, and lest anyone forget the cost of freedom, Bob Williams, 84, of East Pike Street was among those who serve as a living reminder.
"Sixty-four years ago today, I was shot in the hand at Saipan," he said, recalling a World War II injury he received in the Pacific Theater. "I didn't get the Purple Heart because I refused to go to the aid station. I just stayed right on the front lines."
A grenade blasted him three days later and Williams was hospitalized for an entire year. His second injury occurred just two days before the island was secure.
Some parade-watchers take to their roofs. Residents of the Canon House high-rise along Central Avenue practically have an aerial view.
"We've got it made," said Jackie Spara from the steep hillside. Her friend, Peg McMillin, however, can't watch the parade from the balcony of her abode. "My apartment faces this way, but all I can see is roofs," she said as a municipal residual waste tanker rumbled along, followed by kilted pipers piping "Scotland the Brave."
While sidewalks with lassoed chairs are all the rage days before the parade, some spectators wait until the morning of the parade to set up in front of businesses closed for the holiday.
"We've got it made," said Bill Prost of North Strabane Township of the usual spot he and his wife, Mary Jane, gravitate toward in front of Pittsburgh Paints. "If it rains, we're protected."
Rain threatened last year, but this year's event drew a larger crowd because of good weather, borough manager Terry Hazlett said. No estimates of crowd size were available Saturday.
A shady railroad right of way was the place Sue Deegan of Peters Township chose for her camper's mat to watch her son, Joseph, carry a Merchant Marine banner with Boy Scout Troop 1393 of McMurray.
"For four years, we sat across the street. I thought, 'Not one more year looking into the sun,' " she said, adding, "It couldn't be a more beautiful day. They did well planning the weather this year."
An active rail line crosses Route 980, but luckily, Tom Shinshasky and Bill Brooks of the parade committee seldom have to add "train spotter" to their list of fire-siren-and-unit-cuing duties.
"Last year was the first time in 40 years that the train came by," Shinshasky said. "Quarter after 10."
The Fourth fell on a Saturday this year, but for those planning ahead, the parade committee is scheduling a Saturday parade for the next two years.
"Next year, we can't have it on Sunday with all the churches, so we'll have it on Saturday," said Mary Maslanik, chairwoman of the parade committee for the past seven years.
And for 2011? "A lot of times its easier to get more units on Saturday because they'll be booked on Monday," Maslanik said. "Those going to Brentwood can do both."