Eastport's Gloomy 4th of July Parade, 2012

Every 4th of July, thousands of people descend upon the small island community of Eastport, Maine, to celebrate Independence Day.  This year, it was somewhat disappointing.  It was cool and gloomy most of the day, there wasn't much to buy at the junk stands, and the food made my stomach upset (yucky fried dough).  Other than the ice cream, it was a pretty drab experience.

At 2PM, the parade started, and here's a brief summary of events:

It started with an Eastport police car rolling down the street.  Watch out, you troublemakers.

It was followed by a long line of fire trucks and ambulances which made the typical honking and siren sounds to wake sleeping children.

Here we see a nervous Elmo being consoled before facing the Honor Guard firing squad.

There was a ship in port for the 4th again this year, so the Navy seamen kept coming once more.

Right behind the long parade of seamen, we had the Washington County Republicans.  Here we see our next Congressman, Kevin Raye, waving to the crowd.  Left, is his old boss and mentor, outgoing Senator Olympia Snowe.  Behind them, we see State Representative Joyce Maker wearing one of her own stylish shirts, and State Rep Beth Turner behind Kevin's right shoulder.

This nice old '52 Chevy belongs to Chris Gardner, Director of the Port of Eastport and Chairman of the Washington County Republican Committee.  Coincidentally enough, all the signs attached to it are Republican, too.

And here come the bagpipers!

There was only one Mountie at the parade this year.  He looked a little nervous.  Perhaps he's afraid of being deported, since he's over 30 and therefore doesn't qualify for President Obama's Executive Order Amnesty Program.

The forest rangers brought out their very nice Dodge Power Wagon.

And Smokey the Bear made a showing, as well.

Go Navy... in a Mustang!

They had quite a few beauty queens from different age groups.  Here's Miss 4th of July, Amber Stevens.

Here's a really nice '57 Chevy Belair.

And right behind it is a Model A.

Here's a float from the First Light Farm Equine Shelter.  They rescue abused and neglected horses and nurse them back to health.

The first wave of Shriners appears out of the mist, riding their mighty mopeds.  Right behind them was a handful of mini sportscars.

Once the Shriners buzzed by, we saw this 1935 Ford Truck.  I'm pretty sure it made an appearance last year.

Right behind is an early 60's MG.  This sucker really jumps when given a little gas.

Here's a really nice Model-T.  The car that made the modern age!

Moose Island Trolley Tours: I'm sure they do a booming business.

The Coast Guard brought their boat along for the day.

Here comes the Border Patrol to get that Mountie!

After the Shead High School class of '73 rolled by on their tree-laden float, we had an appearance by Tigger.  My father says that is an offensive name, and we should use the more socially-acceptable Teegro.  Somebody should warn Disney!

Atlantic Clarion Steel Band makes their annual appearance.

The Democrats had a pretty mediocre showing this year.  Other than a handful of candidates and this truck, there was nothing from their side.  "Independent" Angus King had a bigger contingent, and he's just a crooked ex-Governor running for US Senate.

We had a few more floats that really weren't much to look at, and then we had this beauty from "Dave's Garage."

The British occupied Eastport during the War of 1812, and in 1814 they built a Powder House (for their gun powder, not makeup), which is apparently in disrepair.  Hey, it's historical, we should save it.

The Wreaths Across America crowd were out, handing out pins to Veterans.  Very nice of them.

The Shriner Lobster Boats roll on down the highway.

The next time you want to exercise your "rights", thank a Veteran for preserving them!

Following another troupe of Shriners, we have a Canadian marching band.  It started to rain about this time, so we had hundred of people fleeing up the street, which made photography more challenging.

Here we have the four branches of Maine's armed forces:  Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, & Lobster Force!

St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada hosts Chocolate-Fest every summer, since they have the Ganong's Chocolates factory there.

The Pirate Festival hits Eastport in September, and they had a pretty large contingent this year in the parade.

The Shriner Go-Karts rolled along, but they didn't have their usual truck ramp for some reason.  Instead of going up and over the truck, they just buzzed around behind it.

Closing out the rear of the parade we had the boat school truck followed by the Old Man of the Sea.  Can I get me a trident here?

Thus concludes the parade overview.  Run for your lives, it's raining!  Aaaaaahhhhhh!