Estimated 20,000 onlookers saw more than 70 entries make their way down Main Street

By Emma Coke, Ashland.news

Ashland’s population doubled in size for a few hours Thursday as a huge crowd turned out to cheer on Ashland’s Fourth of July parade featuring more than 70 entries, including horses, despite temperatures reaching nearly 90 degrees by the parade’s pre-noon finish. 

According to Katharine Cato, director of travel for Ashland Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the parade, around 20,000 people were in the crowd, twice as many as turned out for their Thanksgiving parade.

Within the large crowd flanking both sides of the street was a mixture of long-time attendees and people watching the parade for the first time. Many chose to select their spot the day before, chalking up rectangles on the sidewalk or planting their chairs down in hopes of a bit of shade and a good view.

Pamela Nelson-Munson chose her spot between two small trees on Main Street the previous day at 6:30 a.m., thinking they’d provide plenty of shade. Being too small, the trees didn’t. 

“Next time maybe I’ll be on the other side,” Nelson-Munson said of Main Street’s shadier side.

Despite the lack of shade, Nelson-Munson, who has been coming to the parade for 14 years, was just as happy to be there. 

“It’s a really good parade,” Nelson-Munson said. “There was a lot of good entries and there’s always fun and funny entries. And it moves a lot and it’s accessible.”

Joshua and Jennifer Chenowetch have also been coming to the parade for many years. This was their fourth time watching it.

“It’s really fun and festive and awesome,” said Jennifer. 

“It’s particularly awesome,” Joshua added.

The couple, like others, elected to find their spot the day before. 

“We came at around 10 a.m. and looked where it was shady,” Jennifer said. 

Normally, they bring their daughter with them. This year, though, their daughter was actually in the parade, joining the stilt walkers of Ashland Aerial Arts.

Other onlookers were new to watching the parade.

Eric and Kaitlin Bingham just moved to Ashland from Southern California.

“We wanted to check out the town and, you know, wanted to see what it’s all about,” said Eric Bingham. “We wanted to meet more people in the town.”

The high temperatures didn’t bother Kaitlin and Eric. 

“We’re kinda used to it,” Kaitlin said.

The theme for this year’s parade was “Go 4th for Kids – We’re all kids at heart.” Riding in a place of honor in the parade was co-Grand Marshal Avalon Gerk, 14. Co-Grand Marshal Ember Richards, 10, is in Vienna, Austria, with the Siskiyou Strings, playing in the Summa Cum Laude International World Music Festival. Avalon and Ember were named “Kid Mayors” of Ashland after winning their respective divisions in the “If I Were Mayor” contest.

Volunteer parade judges selected parade entry winners based on how closely they related to the theme. The grand prize went to Cub Scouts Pack 112, first place went to the Firecracker Queens and second place went to Mt. Ashland Ski Area. All were awarded cash prizes. 

The parade was led by a color guard, which included members of Ashland Scout Troop 112, followed by the Ashland Chamber of Commerce’s parade banner carried by the Cub Scouts, the Ashland City Band, Gerk, and the parade’s dignitaries.

Many of the dignitaries rode in old cars, some of them convertibles, dating back to at least the 1960s.

Onlookers cheered and clapped as different entries made their way through the parade route, with the parade marchers cheering right back at the crowd.

El Tapatio Restaurant marched down the parade route with horses, Ashland Aerial Arts had stilt walkers, and the marchers of the YMCA danced along to the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.”

Even Smokey Bear of the U.S. Forest Service was in attendance.

Some entrants handed out candy, others handed out stickers. The Rotary Club of Ashland’s Ashland Reads took a different route, handing out children’s books.

Not an official parade entrant but seen several times throughout the route was an individual wearing a Donald Trump mask and a black-and-white striped prison uniform riding a bike bearing a sign saying “94.1 KSKQ Community Radio.”

The parade concluded with the American Band College, who played their instruments until the end.

Following the parade, holiday events were scheduled to continue from noon to 3 p.m. at Lithia Park’s Bandshell. Events included music played by the Ashland City Band, followed by the singing of the U.S. national anthem and Mexico’s national anthem by guests from Ashland’s sister city Guanajuato, a Lincoln impersonator, a reading of the Declaration of Independence, before concluding with MountainTop Sound and The Bill Scholar Band.  

The American Band College was set to take up their instruments again for an evening concert at 7:30 p.m. at the Ashland High School football stadium.

The band is composed of nearly 200 musicians, master’s degree candidates attending the annual American Band College’s three-week summer workshop in Ashland.

Email Ashland.news reporter intern Emma Coke at [email protected].