Lindsey Gibson, of Hamilton, attended her first parade in Butler County’s county seat on Tuesday and was surprised by the size of the procession that stepped off at 10 a.m. at the Butler County Fairgrounds.
“It was eclectic,” she said. “There were just all kinds of different things in there.”
Erin Kuhlman, of Hamilton, is a regular attendee of the parade and said it was good and the quality was “the same every year.”
This year’s parade theme was “Ice Cream, Baseball, Apple Pie & the 4th of July, Hamilton, Ohio,” and it featured Cincinnati Reds mascots Gapper and Rosie, several local baseball teams, including the Hamilton Joe’s, the Joe Nuxhall Miracle League, and the Butler County Challenger League.
After the parade ― which was presented by the Michael J. Colligan Fund and the Hamilton Community Foundation ― parade-goers and participants had the opportunity to visit some of the historic sites in the city, like the Butler County Soldiers, Sailors and Pioneers Monument, the historic log cabin, the Butler County Historical Society, and Heritage Hall, before heading to Marcum Park for the evening’s RiversEdge concert and fireworks show.
Amy Berlean, spokeswoman for the Hamilton Fourth of July Committee, said a parade is just one of the many attributes that point to a healthy and vibrant community.
“I think that there are a lot of markers of a healthy community, whether it’s public art or a healthy community foundation, and definitely parades, and well-attended parades, have got to be up there at the top of the list,” said Berlean, who is also the communications director for the Hamilton Community Foundation. “Just to see everyone come together with the same goal, same mission, same heart. I just don’t think you can beat that from a community standpoint.”
About the Author
