Parade Committee to Re-Vote on Shortened Route

BRISTOL, RI—Whether its two miles or two-and-a-half miles, one thing is certain: Bristolians are passionate about their town’s—and the country’s longest-running—Fourth of July parade.

On Thursday, the Bristol Fourth of July Parade committee will hold a second vote on Thursday to decide whether the route should be shortened or not.

That vote comes after several days of controversy that began swirling after the committee voted last week to chop a segment of the route.

The committee’s decision was based on safety concerns and the decision of the Fourth of July Celebration Drum and Bugle Corps to move their annual summer preview event to Cranston Stadium in Cranston, according to committee chairwoman Fran O’Donnell.

O’Donnell said that the move to Cranston has led to several marching bands realizing that they might not end up marching in the Bristol parade since the summer preview event is happening on July 5 instead of 3. Normally, the preview event is a warm-up for the Bristol parade.

Additionally, she said that the length of the parade has led to complaints and some possible participants declining invitations.

The decision to cut the last half-mile of the route along Hope Street from Chestnut to Guiteras School came after O’Donnell spoke with the town’s fire and police chiefs who agreed that the shortened route would make it easier for emergency personnel to respond to emergencies.

But the decision did not sit well with many residents and parade goers. Some signed a petition. Others reportedly have inundated parade committee members with phone calls and messages expressing dismay.

“Cutting the parade just under a half mile will make things more crowded, not to mention create more tension while reserving a spot in the early morning,” the petition’s introduction explains. “In addition, the elderly folks at both Benjamin Church Manor and the Veteran’s home all have easier accessibility from the VFW and the corner of Chestnut and Hope. Is it fair to them to take away their accessibility all to make those who CHOOSE to march in our beloved parade happier?”

Some of the phone calls and emails have been threatening in nature, O’Donnell said, and some members of the committee have felt threatened. But the re-vote, she said, is not about the negative response as much as it’s about being in compliance with open meetings laws.

O’Donnell told ABC6 that a mistake was made in the voting process and some members weren’t aware a vote was taking palce.

“That’s the agenda that we post for every single one of our meetings. We made a mistake and we will rectify it, and going forward we will have more specific agendas, but you know we are a volunteer group, we’re not attorneys, we did what we thought we needed to do to comply with the open meeting law,” she said.

That vote went 46 to 9 in favor of shortening. The committee has about 150 members, though not all have voting rights.

The new vote will be held at 7 p.m. in the Colt School auditorium.

Folks opposed to shortening the parade route have their own event planned for Jan. 19 at the VFW Post 237 at 850 Hope Street. Their meeting is dubbed “Save the First Half Mile.”