1996 Bristol Fourth of July Celebration Report

Committee Business

At the Committee’s February 7, 1996, meeting, the treasurer reported a balance of $80,874.49

Fireworks Subcommittee Chair Roger Dubord agreed to contract the Bay Fireworks Company again this year. Because of the previous year’s disappointing display, Dubord negotiated a deal with the fireworks company that if the show failed to please this year, the Committee would not have to pay for it. The Town of Bristol and Roger Williams University shared the $20,000 cost of the pyrotechnic display.

Roger Dubord reported, at the October 8, meeting, that once again the subcommittee thought that Bay Fireworks’ display was disappointing and they would not be asked to bid on the 1997 show. Committee minutes reveal no further mention of a refund of the unsuccessful presentation’s cost.

The launching date of the Bristol celebration is always Flag Day, June 14. Betty Anne Moreira reported that the ceremonies would be on the town common at 6:00 p.m., with a reception following at Linden Place. To help defray expenses for the day, she asked for and received an additional $500. She reasoned because Flag Day falls on a Friday, this year, more people will attend.

Commercial contributions are always welcome. At the May 16, meeting the General Chair announced that several cash donations had been received. Dunkin Donuts sent a check for $4,500.00. Three thousand dollars of which was to sponsor the second place drum and bugle corps winner and $1,500.00 for an ad in the souvenir program book. The Providence Journal sponsored a concert with its donation of $500.00.

Miss Fourth Pageant Co-chairs Joanne Mello and Barbara DeSano reported a new crown for the winning contestant was being custom designed in New York. The new crown will feature three stars and a flag in the middle.

Changes to the pageant rules that were accepted by the general Committee by a vote of 21 in favor to 19 opposed.

After two consecutive years, contestants named to the winner’s court may no longer compete in the pageant; contestants who agree, may be identified by name rather than by number; the top five winning contestants will receive invitations to attend the Flag Day kickoff event, the Yacht Club Reception, the Ball, and the Parade.

New rules to the pageant judging and scoring included the use of five judges rather than the current three; an independent tabulator will be used to tabulate the scores and; upon request scores will be made available to the public after the pageant.

National Television Coverage
Crews from cable television’s the History Channel, an arm of the Arts and Entertainment Television Network roamed Bristol’s streets and attended several Committee functions on July 3, and 4, gathering footage for a special television program.

How Americans celebrate their independence from the British in 1776 and from slavery in 1866, was the subject of the documentary; it included a segment of Bristol’s 1996 Fourth of July Celebration.

Patriotic Exercises
The ceremonies begin at 8:30 a.m., and last about and hour, allowing enough time for participating dignitaries to be ferried by bus to the site of the parade’s muster.

Judy Squires, co-chair of the 1996 Exercises explained that the event’s highlight is the Speaker of the Day, who is chosen by the Exercises Committee. There are no criteria for choosing the speaker. However, it is preferred to have a person with a military background. Lacking military experience, the speaker is usually someone with an association with Bristol, has had a relationship with the town, or had done a great service to the town.

The speaker can choose any topic to speak about “as long as it’s less than ten minutes and as long as it has some kind of patriotic theme,” said Charlotte DeMarco, co-chair of the Subcommittee.

The 1994 Speaker, Bristol historian and author Richard V. Simpson, gave a brief overview of Bristol’s Fourth of July tradition.

Porter Halyburton, the 1995 Speaker, spoke about his experiences in a Vietnam prisoner-of-war camp for seven years and what freedom means to him.

For the 1996 exercises’ speaker the Committee chose retired Marine Corps LTC Anthony Nastri, a Bristol native residing in Pennsylvania. Nastri’s speech entitled, “You can take the boy out of Bristol, but you can’t take Bristol out of the boy,” focused on what makes the citizens of Bristol so unique and proud.

The Chief Marshal
For her Chief Marshal, General Chair Donna A. Marshall chose one of the most familiar faces in town, that of Bristol Town Clerk Emeritus Orlando J “Larney” Bisbano. His many contributions to the town, his fraternal memberships, and honors received are too numerous to mention here.

The Chief Marshal decided to hold his reception at the Roger Williams University athletic facility. Breaking with custom, rather than decorating the hall with traditional red, white, and blue, he chose the Italian national colors of red, white, and green.

 The Parade
|As if on cue, the sun broke through the overcast sky at 10 a.m., just a half-hour before the parade kicked off from the corner of Chestnut and Hope Streets.

As the Mount Hope High School Band played the national anthem, the Rev. Canon Clifton Daniel III smiled a sad smile of farewell. This was the final Fourth of July march for Daniel, who left his post at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church to become bishop coadjutor in his home state of North Carolina.

At 10:30 a.m., sharp, a pistol shot! The crowd roars with anticipation and the parade begins; clanging bells, police on motorcycles and in cars with sirens wailing clear the route of spectators pressing into the road. Chief Marshal, 83-year-old Orlando “Larney” Bisbano dressed in formal white tie and tailed tuxedo, straw hat and carrying a cane gives the signal to “Forward march,” and begins the 2.6-mile hike to the reviewing stand.

Cool Moose Political Party founder Robert J. Healy, dressed as a clown, entertains the crowd, smiling and pumping hands.

Several marching bands follow, including drum and bugle corps from all over the United States and Canada. Behind them come eight crowd-pleasing Clydesdales; then US Senator Claiborne Pell marching in his last Bristol parade.

Just before the parade turns north on High Street, at the Lobster Pot restaurant the crowd claps and yells for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Ladies Auxiliary, the American Legion, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Ex-Prisoners of War, POW-MIA, and Pearl Harbor Survivors.

The Chief Marshal’s Division finally reaches the reviewing stand at 1:30 p.m., the sky fulfills its promise, and the rain begins to fall.

At 6 p.m. rain is drenching the now quiet town. The ten phone lines at the Bristol Police Headquarters are constantly lit as caller after caller asks if the fireworks are called off. The dispatchers don’t know.

What was a deluge settled into an irritating drizzle. The fireworks went as planned. Traffic on Hope Street began to back up as cars threaded their way through downtown side streets in search of parking. Spectators on foot flocked to Independence Park in droves.

Vendors hawked their light-up toys and balloons as people settled on blankets and lawn chairs on the grass. The encroaching chill prompted the appearance of sweaters and jackets. Youngsters set off a few illegal Roman candles, some falling dangerously close to passing cars. As the grand finale lights up the sky some viewers packed up and began to pick their way out of the park in the darkness, trying to beat the rush.

Final Committee Reports
General Chair Donna Marshall announced that she and Richard Luiz visited John Ryan, President of the White Advertising Co. Ryan will be donating the use of two billboards, on Metacom Avenue across from Benny’s Auto Store, for the use of the Fourth of July Committee during the 1997 celebration.

Marshall said she was open to suggestions about how to use the advertising space, but thinks one billboard should be used to thank Committee sponsors of $5,000 or more.

 Treasurer’s Report, December 5, 1996

BAL: 10/31/96

Deposits

Withdrawals

BAL: 11/30/96

$67,946.63

$126.00

$780.29

$67,292.34

Activity

Income

Budgeted

Expenses

Profit

BYC Reception

1,440.80

Car Show

550.00

284.00

Concerts

6,797.58

Drum Corps

19,897.00

19,577.00

329.00

Ecumenical

141.85

300.00

240.75

Exercises

394.37

Fireworks

20,000.00

Floats

358.96

Foot Race

425.95

6,880.00

Military Feeding

818.37

Parade

6,485.92

Parade Collection

5,643.72

Photo Contest

63.78

Soccer

5,000.00

6,887.00

Vending

18,858.99