February is officially underway, which means any day now we’ll be seeing lines of lawn chairs start to form on Main Street as people stake out seats for Wakefield’s annual Fourth of July parade. Just kidding – this reliable phenomenon won’t be making an appearance until the week before the 4th, but despite the snow storms and windy buffetings we’re currently enduring, July will be here before we know it, and with it, our beloved parade. She’s over a century old, but she only gets better with age!
In 2026 we mark 250 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed, so there’s no better time to take a look back at the history of Wakefield’s most enduring community tradition. I took a deep dive into the parade’s past using the treasure trove of local lore available through the digital Daily Item Archive, as well as the library’s own archives. Here are some of the historical morsels I unearthed.
In 1922, the parade’s inaugural year, The Daily Item was obliged to put out a plaintive call to residents asking for their help raising money for the first parade – $2600 was needed to complete the fund, around $50k in today’s money. The parade today costs about $100k to put on.
After 1922, the parade didn’t become a consistent annual occurrence until 1948. By 1968, the Boston Globe was reporting that “Wakefield, as usual, captured all distinctions for most sizable celebration.”
In 1950, John F. Kennedy delivered brief remarks at the parade and was photographed with members of the West Side Social Club, but apparently this was before he was a household name – his middle initial was noted as “P” in the Daily Item, and he only made it onto page 8!
By 1958, JFK was a bit better known and his name was reported correctly by local sources! Here he is pictured with his brother Edward as Grand Marshall of the festivities and being presented with a cake by a young celebrant. These images were found in a periodical called New England Journeys, issues of which are archived in Beebe Library’s Treasure Room.
The 1957 parade is marked as the best-attended parade in the institution’s history. The photograph below, courtesy of Brian Goss (the child on the bicycle), can be found in our Digital Archive.
In 1972, a Red, White and Blue Feast was advertised at the Lord Wakefield Motor Hotel to accompany the festivities. I wish history had preserved evidence of the blue delicacies that were served there!
As we celebrate a significant anniversary in our nation’s history, let’s take time to acknowledge our local history, of which Wakefield’s annual Fourth of July parade has been an integral part for over 100 years–and don’t forget to keep your lawn chair at the ready!
If you’d like to know about preparations for the upcoming 2026 parade, head on over to julyparade.org for more information.
