A gymnast, walking with the Flip N Cheer Gymnastics float, hands a flier to children watching the Fourth of July Parade on July 4. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — The Fourth of July Parade & Picnic returned for its 17th year on July 4, drawing crowds from around the Eastern Panhandle to Shepherdstown.

“It’s a wonderful time for people coming together,” said longtime parade announcer Todd Coyle, who pointed out the wisdom behind celebrating the holiday as a community. “Community is everything! Without community, you don’t have anything to be patriotic for.”

The annual celebration was founded by the Rotary Club of Shepherdstown in 2007, according to parade organizer Peter Smith.

“We wanted to provide some wholesome family entertainment,” Smith said. “There was no sustained Fourth of July event in Shepherdstown that brought the community together, so we decided to do something to change that.”

Smith noted that only once has the Fourth of July Parade & Picnic been canceled since its inception, back at the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic in July 2020. While that cancelation was due to concern over the spread of the coronavirus, no other factors — not even extreme heat — have made the Rotary Club of Shepherdstown consider canceling the event.

Members of the Shepherdstown Volunteer Fire Department carry a large American flag down German Street at the end of the parade on July 4. Tabitha Johnston

The only change that occurs when high temperatures are anticipated, is that the animals that typically participate in the parade are expected to be withdrawn from participation, as was the case with this year’s parade.

“Some years, the weather can be unpleasant,” Smith said. “In fact, today’s weather was far better than what we’ve experienced some years.”

In the end, eight parade entries backed out of the parade at the last minute, bringing the number of vehicle groups, walking groups and floats down to 78. Some of those entries were new, while others had been participating since the event’s inception.

“We haven’t done it in a couple of years, because of the pandemic and other things,” said Flip N Cheer Gymnastics Xcel Director and Coach Patrica Lien. “But we love to bring our kids out to the parade — it’s great for advertising. When other kids see them, they want to do gymnastics, too.”

Further down the street, the Speakeasy Boys could be found warming up to play on their banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar and gutbucket. The Shepherdstown-based, bluegrass band has come to view their musical performances in the parade and at the picnic at Morgan’s Grove Park, alongside the Gypsy Ramblers, as a beloved tradition.

A little girl lifts up a pinwheel into the air, on her way down the Fourth of July Parade route on July 4. Tabitha Johnston

“It’s nice, to see the spirit of community coming together, celebrating the birth of America. What’s not to love?” said mandolin player Ryan Guerrero. “We look forward to the parade and picnic, because it’s our most consistent gig. It’s like our North Star.”

However, just as the heat prevented a number of animals from participating in the parade, it also made playing on most of the band’s instruments a bit of a challenge.

“Many of our instruments are wood, so the heat and the humidity definitely effect them,” Guerrero said. “It definitely makes them go out of tune easier.”

The exceptions to that problem were the banjo and gutbucket, according to gutbucket player Scott Schmied.

“This thing does pretty well in all climates, which is nice with outdoor venues,” Schmied said.

Uncle Sam and his wife ride down German Street on a motorized couch, during the Fourth of July Parade on July 4. Tabitha Johnston

Down near the front of the parade lineup, one volunteer helped the last few entries in her section get into position, before the parade kicked off.

“It’s my second time helping with one of the parades. I want to start a parade here, so I thought it would be wise to first help with some in town, to see how they work,” said Joan Moossy, of Shepherdstown. “Parades are fabulous and everybody’s excited! You meet tons of people you never met before.”

A tractor, driven by a member of the Shepherdstown Centennial Lions Club, makes its way down German Street during the Fourth of July Parade on July 4. Tabitha Johnston