Crowd enjoys annual Canonsburg Fourth of July parade despite steamy weather
The home of Kim Cecchine on Pike Street, Canonsburg, is elaborately decorated for Halloween, Christmas and, of course, July 4. Cecchine is at left with Tracy Pareso of Houston awaiting the parade.
Barbara S. Miller/Observer-Reporter
Decked out in stars and stripes, if not forever, at least for July 4, were Joe Trovato, chilling bottled water, and his Uncle Sam, right, on Jefferson Avenue, Canonsburg, as they get ready for the annual Fourth of July parade.
It's hard to tell if the most coveted commodities at the Canonsburg Fourth of July parade were water, sunscreen or shade. Canonsburg Ambulance set up a cooling tent along the Pike Street parade route.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
A member of New Orleans Riverside band plays his trumpet as they march down Pike Street during the Canonsburg fourth of July parade on Wednesday, July 4, 2018.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Jason Arent, 10, of Canonsburg, cools off while he performs with Synergy as the dance group participates in the Canonsburg Fourth of July parade Wednesday.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
The Shrine Aladdin motor pator during Canonsburg fourth of July parade on Wednesday, July 4, 2018.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Shelby Dodd, 7, waves at marchers as she sits under an umbrella with Bria Coleman, 7, both of Canonsburg, during the borough’s Fourth of July parade Wednesday.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Zoey Gonglik, 7, of Fredericktown, watches the Canonsburg Fourth of July parade.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Spectator Austin Dami of Canonsburg is all decked out in patriotic colors for the annual holiday parade.
Members of the Ohio Valley Band from McKees Rocks during the Canonsburg fourth of July parade on Wednesday, July 4, 2018.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Members of the Ohio Valley Band from McKees Rocks during the Canonsburg fourth of July parade on Wednesday, July 4, 2018.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Canon-McMillan High School cheerleaders march down Pike Street during the Canonsburg Fourth of July parade Wednesday.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Malchi Wilson, 9, of Canonsburg eats a popsicle during the Canonsburg for of July parade on Wednesday, July 4, 2018.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Canon-McMillan 2018 PIAA wrestling champion Logan Macri waves to the crowd during the Canonsburg Fourth of July parade Wednesday.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Jakob Fonner, 3, of Scenery Hill, waves a flag and salutes as a military troop marches by during the Canonsburg Fourth of July parade Wednesday.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Kathy Smith reserves at chair for Betsy Ross in her front yard in Canonsburg Wednesday.
CANONSBURG – Sammy the Otter; the Syria Shrine burgundy Fez; and ORPP, the Observer-Reporter Paper Person, may have been sweltering more than the average patriot Wednesday at the 56th annual Canonsburg Fourth of July parade.
They’re some of the mascots who donned heavy suits while the average paradegoer was shedding as much clothing as is legally possible as he or she saw the temperature inching toward 91 degrees.
While other mascots were on the march, Mr. Rusty the auburn fox, was also having a hot time promoting his namesake, Rusty Gold Brewing, which offered ringside viewing of the panoply playing out along Pike Street.
The sly fox said freezing a container of water which he would hide in his clothing and sipping melting liquid through a blue straw-like contraption was his secret to keeping cool from his furry fox mask to the golden tips of his cowboy boots.
This was his first foxy foray into summer slog.
“I had it last year, for Halloween and Christmas,” Rusty said of his animal act. “But I have done costumes in the past.”
It was hot enough to melt the taffy and Tootsie Rolls tossed to children along the parade route, and, to paraphrase an old song, one was wise to just direct your feet to the shady side of the street. The scent of sunscreen was as heavy in the air as could be found at a beach.
The heat index allowed members of the Big Mac Canon-McMillan Marching Band to draw a dispensation from their usual uniforms.
Student musicians proceeded in parade formation sans blue and gold jackets and peaked hats but wearing their royal blue bib overalls and T-shirts.
Lisa Motosicke, 16, a Canonette co-captain with Kenzie Hartnett, could have been the poster child for the slogan, “Keep Cool and Carry On,” as she met up with her mom and dad, Steve and Lori of Cecil Township, after the parade.
“It was tiring, but I think we still did very well,” said Lisa, who was on hiatus from the family’s vacation at Pymatuning to participate with her bandmates, nary a stray hair from her twin braids nor a smear from her red lipstick marring her appearance as her proud mom recorded daughter’s moment in the blazing sun. Lisa marched in a blue skirt, gold T-shirt and white boots known as “Dinkles.”
It was a truly a team effort from the Canon-Mac community. Canonsburg Mayor David G. Rhome, in pre-parade remarks, welcomed as grand marshals state wrestling champion Logan Macri and members of the state champion baseball team.
“This is like Mayberry,” said Lisa’s grandmother, Mickey Fehriens of North Strabane. “I love this. I keep looking for Andy (Griffith) to show up.”
Rhome instructed the setup of cooling stations in conjunction with its 56th annual parade, the second-largest Independence Day parade in the state, eclipsed only Philadelphia, the scene of the nation’s birth in 1776.
The stations were on Four Coins Drive, North Central Avenue and the local ambulance service on Pike Street, where mist and a fan offered instant relief.
“We have preached and preached to all the folks to please hydrate, hydrate, hydrate,” he said after his official remarks from the reviewing stand opened the festivities, thanking veterans and current members of the armed services.
“If they do what we asked them to do, they should be okay,” Rhome said.
The National Weather Service posted a heat advisory for the holiday afternoon, when the mercury climbed above 90 degrees.
Dottie Maslonek of Houston said her heart ached for panting dogs who were part of the event because they couldn’t doff their furry coats while walking the parade route from Four Coins to the 600 block of West Pike Street.
“One had boots,” she said of tender paws.
“Other than that, everything’s been fine, great,” said Maryellen Ceney, visiting from North Carolina, who clocked the duration of the parade at two hours, 20 minutes.
“We’ve all got dogs,” Maslonek said.
Evan Bookbinder, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, said the highest July 4 temperature since modern record keeping began was 100 degrees in 1911.
“We’re not going to get close to that,” he said in early afternoon. “It may feel like it, but we’re going to be 8, 9 degrees short of the record.”
Washington County District Attorney Gene Vittone, meanwhile was preparing to participate in a float prepared by the anti-opioid coalition. The group was near the end of the parade, No. 112 in the formation.
“Keep cool,” Vittone said.