Parade of patriotic rebels keep tradition alive in Sheridan

By AMY ADAMS
news@readthereporter.com

The rain in Sheridan started around 9 a.m., the same time registration for the annual Lions Club Fourth of July Parade was set to begin. The difficult decision was made to cancel the parade, but not without disappointment.

Vance Wallace and his friend Steve Bilby sat next to a tractor that would have paraded down Main Street at 10 a.m. from Sheridan High School to Biddle Memorial Park.

“I’ve never seen the parade canceled because of rain,” Wallace said. “I’ve seen it rain before the parade, and I’ve seen it rain after the parade, but never during the parade.”

Vance Wallace (left) with Steve Bilby, said he’d never known the parade to be canceled due to rain. (Reporter photo by Amy Adams)

Pat Pickett expressed similar regret as he sat in the driver’s seat of the Noel Pickett family’s 1929 Model A with nowhere to go.

“This would have been the car’s 47th year in a row to be in the parade,” Pickett said.

Word spread that the parade had been canceled. Word also spread that the people of Sheridan wanted the tradition to continue.

Kennedy and Raegan Ploughe show off their face paint and tattoos from LiveLovePaint Studios. (Reporter photo by Amy Adams)

With some grassroots organizing and help from social media, an unsponsored parade took place at 4 p.m., and plenty of people braved the rain to cheer them on.

“The parade that came through was not sponsored by anyone,” Sheridan Events Committee Secretary Diana Schwartz said. “It was a group of patriotic townspeople who quickly got together to keep the tradition alive. The committee members were busy at the park and weren’t able to help, but I believe the town police were helping guide them through traffic to make sure everyone stayed safe.”

Steve Fulton takes the stage in front of a steadily growing crowd. (Reporter photo by Amy Adams)

The crowd at Biddle Memorial Park was off and on due to rain, but by the time Nora Stites sang the national anthem, the clouds had begun to part. Sheridan High School graduate Steve Fulton, who took the stage to play some country standards, joked that he was playing for 13 people representing the 13 original colonies. But as the rain let up and the time for fireworks drew closer, there was a nice crowd as Lisa Frank and the Trapper Keepers began their set.

The fireworks went off around 10 p.m. without a hitch.

The sky cleared for fireworks in Sheridan. (Reporter photo by Amy Adams)