SEBASTIAN – For more than an hour, Sebastian residents and visitors alike lined up along Indian River Drive, many standing shoulder-to-shoulder craning to get a look at this year’s Fourth of July Parade floats.
Participants ranged from long established Sebastian-based businesses to recent newcomers, youth groups to churches, and even political candidates.
For 19 years, Sebastian resident Crystal Lessentine has been in attendance at the Sebastian Fourth of July Parade.
“It still seems the same to me,” Lessentine said, who comes back year after year – this time with her grandson, 5-year-old Dominiq Williams.
His favorite part of the parade?
“Everyone threw candy,” he said, grinning widely.
Lessentine plans to bring Dominiq back to Riverview Park later in the day for more fun and festivities.
“We have to go cool off first,” she said.
“It was fantastic!” said parade-watcher Andrea Subero, a recent Sebastian River High grad who came to watch her friend, Tegan Ihnen, play in the Sebastian River High Marching Band.
“It’s kind of distracting,” Ihnen said of playing in the parade. “My family is pretty loud.”
Subero said her favorite float – of course, after the high school – was Captain Hiram’s.
“Captain Hiram’s showed everyone up,” Subero said.
The float was that of a pontoon boat made up to look like a pirate ship. Blasting current radio hits, pirates took aim on the onlookers, blasting them with bubbles and handing out balloon animals.
Ihnen said she likes being both just a parade-watcher as well as a participant. As a watcher, though, the main perk is “you get lots of free stuff!”
Along with the traditional suckers, Tootsie rolls, bubble gum and other pieces of sweet stuff, businesses handed out flyers with coupons, hand fans to help watchers keep cool, leis and even paper crowns.
The crowns came courtesy of Re/Max Crown Realty, which was the top winner of the parade float contest.
The float was decked out in its finest red, white and blue, and included a hot air balloon complete with ignition.
Other float winners were Sebastian River Medical Center, Sebastian Bark Park, the Sebastian GFWC Women’s Club and McMullen For Sheriff, which had about a dozen vehicles, several horses and more than 100 volunteers.
Sebastian visitor Jenna Ryan, who was in town to visit her cousin Tegan Ihnen, said her town – in Oklahoma – doesn’t do much for the Fourth of July. Instead, their big celebration is the Czech Festival.
She said she was impressed with Sebastian’s festivities.
“It’s a lot bigger,” than her town’s celebration, Ryan said of Sebastian’s Fourth of July event.
Once the parade ran its course, families were quick to pack up their chairs and blankets and make their way back to their vehicles – loading them up but not going anywhere.
Instead, the crush of people descended on Riverview Park to get an early lunch of American staples such as hot dogs, hamburgers and even pizza. Funnel cakes, ice cream cones and other such sweet treats were just as quick to sell from the numerous food booths stationed under the oaks.
“We’re having fun,” said Ann Burr, who had taken a seat beside her husband, Craig, to take in the entertainment on the stage near the pelican fountain.
The retirees from West Virginia came back for the week to celebrate the Fourth. They said they planned to come back in the evening to catch the fireworks display.
Food, fun and festivities continue at Riverview Park throughout the day and culminate with the fireworks show around 9 p.m.
The fireworks will be fired off from an island in the lagoon and can be seen from most anywhere along Sebastian’s waterfront.
