Fourth of July celebrations in different communities may look and sound a little different, but people still celebrated according to their own local traditions Saturday in Belgrade Lakes and Winslow.
Independence Day in Belgrade Lakes Village was a Norman Rockwell piece come to life. People strolled, smiling and waving to neighbors driving down the thriving, narrow Main Street. Red, white and blue bunting hung from Day’s Store with its one gas pump. People shopped and chatted at businesses and small stands of crafts and baked goods before moving along.
Anne Brown, from Bexly, Ohio, sat on one of the many docks downtown with her three boys; her brother-in-law Jeff Lessard, from Bedford, New Hampshire; and his son. They were waiting along the shore with dozens of others to watch the boat parade in Mill Stream.
Brown said her in-laws live in Oakland, so she takes the opportunity to bring her boys to Belgrade in the summers. This was her first Independence Day in the lakeside village.
“But it’s beautiful,” Lessard said. “This seems like the way Fourth of July’s been forever.”
Brown said there’s no water where she lives, so to have a boat parade is a unique experience. She said it’s also easier to contain active children at a lake as opposed to an oceanside venue.
“We love Maine, and the people are so nice, and we went hiking this morning,” Brown said. “It’s just a little slice of Americana, I guess.” Speaking about her sons, Brown said, “When we walked down here, I just mentioned how lucky they are to be doing this. It’s my first boat parade.”
In the water, boats began to file past — first the large mahogany watercraft, then lapstrake hulls, pontoons and fiberglass — each one blowing its horn as it passed, circled and went back upstream.
One inexplicable entry was captained by a man wearing a horse head. At mid-hull was a “Just Married” sign, and the boat towed floats behind it.
Charlie Squires and his wife, Sue, also attended the parade. Although Bostonians, the Squires consider themselves residents, as they are drawn to Belgrade year-round for the Christmas Stroll and Octoberfest as well. The Squires said it was Octoberfest that hooked them on the area.
“The town does a really good job of having very nice, low-key events,” Charles Squires said.
Sue Squires said “the people are really, really friendly” and there is no sense of competition between the townsfolk and visitors. “They make you feel like this is your town, too.”
She said the area is small enough to allow visitors to get to know people in town.
The highlight each year for the couple is taking their boat out on Long Pond and watching the fireworks over the water. Sue said each explosion reverberates over the hills, making the experience special.
Over in Winslow, following a quick bag check by Winslow police, country band Cold Blue Steel belted out Daryle Singletary’s “Too Much Fun” before breaking into Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Greeting the crowds was Winslow Miss 4th of July Caitlin Grenier. Grenier was crowned recently after a miscount had handed the crown to Molly Lybrook, of Fairfield. A subsequent recount confirmed Grenier was the rightful winner. After officials decided to split the title, a notion Lybrook didn’t agree with, Lybrook eventually backed out, leaving Grenier as the sole winner.
Grenier said she just wanted to avoid any nasty comments about the mix-up and make it through the weekend. Grenier said she hasn’t heard any negativity from the crowds, and many people came forward to congratulate her.
Romping across the park, Florence Poulliot, of Albion, and her granddaughter Taylor Denis arrived in style, dressing as Captain America. Poulliot said the pair always dresses up for the celebration and last year the diminutive grandmother dressed up as Abraham Lincoln. Apparently patriotic themes are loosely defined, as Denis said her grandmother is going to dress as the cartoon character Baby Huey next year.
Beneath a tent, selling handmade jewelry, sat Steve Fechenda, aka Bubba. Fechenda is the president of the Maine Bikers Against Child Abuse.
“We’re here to empower children that have been abused,” he said. “We are here so they feel safe in their environment. If they’ve been hurt, we patch them in and make them part of our family for life.”
As for the sales, Bubba said everything they do is 100 percent nonprofit, and all the money raised will go to help “our heroes.”
Belgrade Lakes may have had strawberry shortcake sold streetside, but it had nothing on Ron Veno, the master of all fried desserts. Manning the Deep Fried Sweets trailer, Veno offered three varieties of candy bar, eclairs, cheesecake, cookie dough, Oreos and Twinkies — all dipped and dropped into bubbling vats of vegetable oil goodness.
Although business was steady but slow Saturday afternoon at the stand, Veno said “by 5 p.m. tonight I’ll have people lined up seven, eight, nine, 10 deep until the fireworks start.”
Veno said the deep-fried chocolate cookie dough has been popular this year. “The kids line up for deep-fried Oreos, and I frankly don’t understand it, but I’m happy to sell it to them.”
This is Veno’s fifth year at the Winslow Fourth of July event. Next on tap for him will be the Aug. 4 Moonlight Madness event in Skowhegan.
Douglas McIntire — 861-9252
dmcintire@mainetoday.com
Twitter: @CD_McIntire
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