LITITZ, Pa. — After getting postponed by bad weather on Monday evening, the 30th annual Lititz Lions Patriotic Parade kicked off a Fourth of July chock-full of activities.
Thousands lined the parade route to watch veterans groups, dancers, musicians and scouts march by.
“I think it’s important for us to celebrate Independence Day as a community. I think we need each others’ support,” said Cristie Neal of Lititz.
“It’s a family gathering,” added Neal’s husband, Eddie. “You notice everybody gets along. There’s no strife. There’s no problems. Everybody is happy to be here, especially little children. It’s a day of celebration.”
The Fourth of July is often associated with summer fun, but also holds an important lesson for many families.
“Just to bring her up in what it means to have a good community that focuses on patriotism and celebrating,” said Lititz resident Luke Walmer, who brought his 2-and-a-half-year-old daughter Hadley to the parade.
The celebrations continued into the afternoon for the 206th annual Fourth of July celebration at Lititz Springs Park.
Starting at 3 p.m., scheduled activities included live music, a pie eating contest and a DJ dance contest. The evening is scheduled to culminate with a fireworks display at 9:30 p.m.