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They love a good parade
By Paul Sloth
Racine - When Emma Barry drew the blinds early Tuesday morning, people were already staking out their spots along North Main Street, looking for the best place to watch Racine's Fourth Fest parade.
Barry had nothing to worry about.
All she and her family had to do to enjoy the parade was walk out onto her front porch.
Barry has lived in Racine for 39 years. She's watched the parade from her house on Main Street for the past five years. She and her sisters love the parade.
Barry's daughter, Allen, said she sees the parade as a way for people in Racine to come together, something that needs to happen more often, as far as she's concerned.
"They always say the city is so divided, but you see black people, white people and Hispanic people together," she said. "We should have more stuff like this so we can get together."
Her sister, Allie Staples, agreed. She said the parade has come to mean more to her every year. "I think people are starting to get what this parade is all about," Staples said. "It's important."
Tuesday's weather created near-perfect conditions for the parade. Cool temperatures and a steady breeze added something to this year's parade, which is billed as the Midwest's largest.
Only a thin break in the crowds on either side of Main Street allowed for people to walk along the parade route. While some sprawled out in their own yards, others made do with a stretch of curb.
A little further down the parade route, Mark Clouthier sat with his family, watching the parade from just behind a barricade.
"The parade just isn't what it used to be. There's just no comparison." Clouthier said.
But he's glad the city continues the tradition, which he remembers from his childhood. Now he does it more to give his grandchildren the same experience he and his children had growing up - the experience of a Fourth of July parade in Racine.
After a short visit to the parade, Clouthier planned to go home and celebrate with his family, since the Fourth of July is one of the few times during the year that he gets to see his two children who moved away. He also has a daughter who lives in Racine.
"It brings the family together," he said.
For Linda Rubin and her husband Ken, it was a chance to welcome two of their four children back home. The family has been coming to the parade for 40 years. Linda moved here on July 3 40 years ago and she's come to the parade ever since.
She and Ken met and married and made the parade a part of their family's tradition.
"It is part of our agenda to get here on the Fourth of July," she said.
And this year they found an ideal spot on the southeast corner of 10th and Main. But it wasn't easy. It meant Ken and his grandson James had to get up early to set up their lawn chairs and blankets and claim their spot.
Nadine Faquin's spot was picked out for her. As a guest of the city, Faquin sat with other visitors from Racine's sister city, Montelimar, France. This was her first time visiting the United States and this was the first time she'd seen anything like the city's Fourth Fest parade. Faquin, a captain with the Police Nationale, said she wanted to visit this country on Independence Day.
And she wasn't disappointed by the parade that she had heard so much about.
"I am terribly impressed," Faquin said through a translator. "It's remarkable to me that so many people participate in the parade."
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