THE 1940 JULY 4TH PARADE featured the Wakefield High School Band led by the WHS Cheerleaders. Back then, the parade was sponsored by the West Side Social Club and the direction it took on Main Street was opposite that of recent parades. The “Chief Marshal” of the 1940 parade was World War I hero Major Edward J. Connelly, for whom the park at the head of the Lake is named.
The 1940 parade was held on Saturday, July 6, because of inclement weather on Thursday, July 4. According to the following Monday’s Daily Item, “July 4, 1940 turned out to be the dullest, coldest and wettest in many years; in fact, the coldest in the 44-year history of the Weather Bureau.” The temperature remained in the 50s nearly all day, the Item reported. Heavy rain overnight and in the morning of July 4, 1940 prompted postponement of the day’s festivities to Saturday.
The 1940 parade photo shows the marchers heading north on Main Street, near Albion Street. On the east side of Main Street visible stores include Elite Shoes, Bowser’s and the First National Store. A hanging sign on the corner building advertises the Princess Theatre. In the background is Wakefield’s grand old Town Hall, which stood at the corner of Main and Water streets (the current site of a municipal parking lot).
