Bertrand, Nancy. Wakefield Revisited. Arcadia Publishing, 2010.
Are you reading The Parade of Horribles by Matt Dinniman wondering, what is a parade of horribles? Well, there are two definitions.
Parade of Horribles (plural Parades of Horribles) Noun 1. A parade featuring a progression of people wearing comic and grotesque costumes, commonly accompanied by floats and models representing monsters. 2. (law, informal) Any rhetorical device presenting a series of terrible results that notionally might follow from an act, instead of confining the argument to the explicit terms of any applicable law
The horribles parade is a tradition native to New England, with towns like Gloucester still taking part. The Town of Wakefield hosted a horribles division of the Fourth of July Parade through the 1940s.
Wakefield’s first official Fourth of July parade in 1922 included various categories as part of its horribles parade–notably, a “boys up to 15” section with a Charlie Chaplin theme. There were prizes awarded to the most comical costumes, the most original costumes, and a prize for the singular “best hit.” Prizes included cash ($12 for first place 🤑), watches, and pocket knives.
For the men’s horribles section in 1922, a man named Fred S. Grant was the talk of the town with his cosplay of the town’s Chief of Police. The Wakefield Daily Item crowed that Grant must have been shadowing the chief for a year in his build-up for the role.
Stop by the local history display across from the Circulation Desk to see more early highlights from Wakefield’s Fourth of July celebration. Visit the town’s website for the Independence Day town activity schedule & Wakefield Fourth of July parking and road closures.
