July 4 in Saugerties

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Photos by Garrett Colburn

As parades go, the Saugerties Fourth of July Parade is one of the most popular in the area with folks from all over Ulster and neighboring counties turning out for the two-hour march. This July 4, hundreds lined the parade route, many bearing umbrellas or large sheets of clear plastic to keep themselves dry.

This being the fireman’s parade, local companies made a fine showing. There were representatives from the Saugerties Fire Department as well as from Ulster Hose Company No. 5, Ruby and Woodstock. There were also a number of new marchers, including costumed folks from the upcoming Zombie Crawl. Legislative candidate Angie Minew had a float, as did supervisor candidate Gaetana Ciarlante. Members of the Saugerties High School Section 9 champion boys basketball team took part. And for the first time in more than 20 years, the Saugerties Central School District had a marching band in the parade. Members of the Sawyers Marching Band, looking sharp and squared away, were greeted by cheering residents as they walked the parade route. In addition, the Kingston High School Marching Band and three pipe and drum corps took part.

But the biggest cheers were reserved for the men and women of Saugerties and the surrounding area that have either served or are still serving in the military.

Color guards from the American Legion Post 72 and the Marine Corps were joined by color guards from a number of the fire companies and the Saugerties Police Department.

Also new this year — a collegiate baseball game in the early evening. (Saugerties won.) At nightfall, the fireworks, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club, were launched.