Around 12,000 people decked out in the stars and stripes lined the streets of Clinton on Thursday to watch the Independence Day parade organized by the Central Maine 4th of July Celebration group.
The parade started at the Tradewinds Market on Hinckley Street, ended at Clinton Elementary school and lasted just over two hours; 43 organizations marched.
Among the parade’s participants was the Pine State Heroes, a charity organization founded in 2017 that uses cosplay as a way to spread positivity to children in need.
“Were all about bringing smiles and fun to good causes,” Steven Palmer, who embodies the Marvel character Deadpool, said.
It’s the second year the organization has taken part in the Independence Day Parade and according to Palmer, their attendance has nearly tripled.
“Only four of us marched in the parade last year,” Palmer said. “Today we have about 18 cosplayers participating, its great.”
More information on the Pine State Heroes can be found on their Facebook page.
At the Clinton fairgrounds, the day kicked off at 11 a.m., when the gates opened and residents began flocking to enjoy the food trucks, craft show, kids activities and demonstrations.
At 1 p.m., the Maine State Police put on a K-9 Unit presentation, a new addition to the event.
Officers from Troop C displayed the skills of their service dog Bella. A German Shepard from Slovakia, who’s dual certified in narcotics and patrol training.
Central Maine 4th of July Celebration Chairman Kevin Douglas was impressed by the crowd of around 100 people that formed to watch the demonstration.
“This is the first year we’ve had the police come and do this and by the looks of the crowd, I think we’ll bring it back next year,” Douglas said. “The fact that this many people are engaged enough that they’re willing to stand in the hot sun out here to watch means that its something we should keep on with.”
Though the temperature, which hit 91 degrees, thwarted the turnout at the fairgrounds throughout the afternoon, Douglas says the night time has always attracted the most attendees.
“We’ll have around 20,000 to 25,000 people here tonight,” Douglas said. “The fireworks show never fails to get people out here.”
The course of the day struck a chord in Douglas.
“It’s a great event and I’m so happy to see this community coming together to celebrate and have fun. Especially because I feel like these small town celebrations are disappearing,” Douglas said. “I feel like people just aren’t that interested anymore. We’ve also lost a number of volunteers. We used to have around 30 and now, today, we have 20. So that’s hard but overall, you can see that the community here loves this and are having a good time. So I’m super happy to see it.”
This is the third year the celebration has taken place in Clinton since moving from Winslow, where it was located for 26 years.
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