Residents Gearing Up For Fourth Festivities : 137th Horribles Parade and Fireworks Planned

A family riding unicycles, potato sack and relay races, the best blueberry pie you’ve ever had, and a variety of floats and participants marching through Point Shirley are just a few of the scenes that you will get to witness at the annual Horrible’s Parade on the Fourth of July.

Tomorrow will mark the 137th year of the traditional old-fashioned small- town parade. Deemed as “a parade for the kids,” the Horrible’s Parade will commence at 9 a.m. on Thursday morning and parade contestants can begin registering at 7: a.m. on the landing.

There is no pre-registration required and everyone is invited to march or ride in the parade, whether it’s for a little friendly competition or just some plain old fun. As in year’s past, the parade will begin at the landing and make its way through Point Shirley, going past the four judges who will be stationed in front of the Point Shirley Association (PSA) Hall. Cash prizes will be awarded to floats and groups who go above and beyond in the categories: most beautiful, most original, most hilarious, most patriotic, best float, and of course, most horrible. Traffic will be blocked starting at the Winthrop Yacht Club until the parade comes to a close. There will be countless free activities for the family in Coughlin Park following the parade.

“This is a parade for the kids,” said Peter Gobiel, who has been the parade director for 25 years. “Now more than ever, we need to go back to the way things used to be 25 years ago and with a little effort and old time fun, this parade is a tradition that we have to continue going forward.”

“I love being involved in this beloved community event,” said parade committee member, Wendy Millar-Page. “Very few towns still have amazing community events like this, which makes our community a community! We need to keep traditions like these going.”

If you are interested in volunteering at the parade, please contact, Peter Gobiel at: 617-823-5359.