Every year the Crouse, NC community holds a 4th of July parade. This parade began with the Willie and Debbie Heafner family as a way to entertain their small children almost 25 years ago. The first parade was a small group of adults and children. Children on tricycles and red wagons, adults giving a push or pull as needed. As the children grew and their riding toys improved, the parade grew.
The number of entries for the event grows each year and this year we hope to exceed the 2015 parade turnout!
Spectators are welcome and interested churches, organizations or individuals are urged to bring golf carts, tractors with trailers, floats, lawn mowers with trailers, classic cars, trucks, four wheelers, bicycles, floats, and goats, horses with wagons or buggies and horses with riders.
The entries will begin lining up around 3:00 pm at the Crouse United Methodist Church located on Pleasant Grove Church Road in Crouse, NC. For the third year in a row Crouse UMC will have bottled water and facilities available in the Fellowship Hall. Be creative decorate your entry with a patriotic theme, or use your imagination, and JOIN IN THE FUN!!!
The official grand marshal each year is Sandy Jones, a lifelong resident of Crouse. Sandy loves the parade and can hardly wait for the event to occur each year.
The organization is simple. We announce the parade at local churches and put up signs announcing the parade throughout the community. Everyone simply shows up and the fun begins. Last year we estimated over 1300 people lining the parade route, the largest crowd ever to view the parade, and this year we anticipate an even larger crowd.
If you are looking for good family fun, we think you will find nothing better than visiting downtown Crouse for the 4th of July parade at 4:00 pm on Monday, July 4th, 2016.
For more information or questions concerning the parade please contact Mona Ramsey, Crouse Community History & Photo Project, Heafner Family Project, 704-736-1440/rramsey6@bellsouth.net.