For those of us who have experienced many Fourth of July celebrations in Andover, the remarkable sameness of events is most remarkable. Literally thousands of folks descend on this hamlet of 2,100.
The town green is a maze of vendors hawking crafts, tools, antiques and junk.
The East Andover Fire Department raffles a kayak; Libertarians distribute literature denouncing the major parties; the Alpha booth offers answers to questions you might have about God, and bands play patriotic tunes.
The air is thick with the scent of fried dough, onions rings, fries and grilled sausage. This line leads to the Italian foot-long tube steaks.
A local politician addresses the throng from an elevated reviewing stand, reminding us how to behave when the stars & stripes pass and pleading (in vain) with the masses to use the cross walks.
Sauteed onions and green peppers are traditional.
A young man in military garb commandeered the microphone to share a political perspective that offended more than a few. Local bands entertained us with America The Beautiful.
Andover's famous One-Wheelers unicycling team performed both before and during the parade, which began promptly at noon.
The parade--which is immense--blocks traffic on Routes 11 and 4 (central New Hampshire's main east-west highway) for about an hour.
This year, the skies opened with torrential rains just as the parade was winding down, sending spectators sprinting to cars for a fast exit. Of course, the miles of backed-up traffic waiting to enter town thwarted these plans, as our village experienced the worst gridlock in history! Next year, we'll do it again--(minus the rain, perhaps?)
