2001 Bristol Fourth of July Celebration Report

Committee Business.
At the November 8, 2000 meeting, Chairperson Frances O’Donnell proposed beginning in 2002 the Committee should pay the postage for invitations to the Chief Marshal’s reception. She also proposed that the Committee pay for the food at the Chief Marshal’s announcement reception.

Fire Chief David Sylvaria moved and Jerry Mederos seconded his motion that the Committee to pay up to $500 for the Chief Marshal’s announcement reception. Sylvaria amended his motion adding the exclusion of alcohol in the in the cost of the reception and it should become effective for 2001 Chief Marshal. The motion was scheduled for a vote of the general Committee at the December 12, 2000 meeting.

Chief Marshal
As usual, there was town-wide speculation as to who would be selected for this year’s honored post of Chief Marshal. Chairperson Frances O’Donnell chose the first woman elected to the office of Bristol Town Clerk¾Diane C. Mederos. Mederos was first elected to the town clerk’s office in 1984.

The day after the official announcement of Mederos’ selection, her co-workers surprised her when she walked into Town Hall. She was welcomed by red, white, and blue stripes of colored fabric taped on the floor emulating the stripes painted along the parade route.

For her civilian aids Mederos sent invitations to her municipal clerk counterparts statewide. Seventeen of the state’s city and town clerks answered the call and marched in the Chief Marshal’s Division.

Clerks participating in the parade came from the following communities: Barrington, Coventry, Cumberland, East Providence, Exeter, Foster, Lincoln, Little Compton, Middletown, Narragansett, North Providence, North Smithfield, South Kingstown, Tiverton, Warren, and West Greenwich. Most other clerks wanted to march but family commitments prevented them from doing so.

Mederos held her after-parade reception on the grounds and in the barn of Mount Hope Farm. The beautifully restored Victorian-era barn with its highly polished plank board floor is suitable for dances, receptions, and exhibits. Unfortunately, the high-placed spinning ceiling fans did little to displace the muggy conditions of the airless hall as it filled with guests. Most guests, after greeting Mederos and her husband Tony, retrieved a cool drink and withdraw to the estate’s grounds.

The Chief Marshal’s aids distributed favors to guests of sparkling blue and red Marti-Gras-type necklaces.

Patriotic Exercises
A persistent light drizzle and the threat of rain caused the Patriotic Exercises to move in doors to the auditorium of the Colt Memorial School. In the stuffy hall the town’s traditional opening ceremonies of the day unfolded before an attentive audience of residents and visitors; servicemen, and town and state officials.

Everyone stood and sang a medley of patriotic songs lead by US Navy Lieutenant Clay Hahs.

The crew of the visiting warship, the USS Laboon, performed an Old Glory flag ceremony.

Little Miss Fourth of July Kailey Grantham led the Pledge of Allegiance and Alyssa Parella read her winning essay on what it means to live in a free country.

US Navy Signalman 3^rd Class Thomas Smith, of the USS McCain, was recognized as the Bristolian who traveled the farthest distance to be home on the 4^th of July¾Yokosuka, Japan.

In his patriotic speech, Roger Williams University Chancellor Anthony J. Santoro praised the everyday freedoms of Americans and celebrated the meaning of patriotism.

Santoro said patriotism means that all Americans deserve all rights and privileges, regardless of race, creed, gender, ethnic origin, or opinion. “This is want it means to live free in America. This is what it means to be a patriot in America. This is what we celebrate this Fourth of July.”

 “Hopefully, the events of today, both here in Bristol and elsewhere, will help us all to reflect on the freedom that we have and the freedom that is denied to half the population of this world,” Santoro said.

The Parade
The morning rain eventually turned to a fine drizzle and ultimately stopped. The sun peeked through the clouds just as a US Air Force B-2 stealth bomber made a flyover of the parade route.

Just before the 10:30 a.m., scheduled start, Chief Marshal Mederos arrived with her entourage and they quickly assembled into place. Parade Chair Donna St. Angelo handed Mederos the ceremonial scissors and she cut the ribbon, only two minutes behind schedule, and the parade was on its way.

After some initial tension as the first units of the procession were sent on their way, the flow seemed to hit the pace and everything was moving as planned. At this point, parade organizers’ concerns centered around one thing¾gaps between divisions or units.

Except for a few unanticipated and unappreciated gaps the parade won high praise from most of the enthusiastic viewers. Police Chief Russell S. “Rusty” Serpa estimated the crowd at around 80,000.

Fire Chief David Sylvaria, who led the Bristol Fire Department, had a difference of opinion, and estimated the crowd at closer to 200,000. Chief Sylvaria said the number of rescue runs during the parade were much fewer than recent previous editions.

Cox Communications televised the parade live with Bristol native and Cox programming manager Mary Lou Palumbo providing viewers with the color commentary.

Popular Rhode Island country music vocalist, 13-year-old Billy Gilman garnered shrieks from fans along the route. At the end of the parade he joined dignitaries on the reviewing stand to sign autographs. It was later reported that Gilman had cancelled a previous engagement to be in the Bristol parade.

Parade Chair Donna St. Angelo said it was an exhausting effort to put the parade together, but it was worth it. She said the cooperation she received from the local fire, police, and highway departments made it all happen as planned.

Post-celebration Reports Filed
At the July 17, 2001, Committee wrap up meeting New England Tent Co., sent notice that it was missing one chair from the drum and bugle competition. Chairperson O’Donnell requested aid to locate the missing parade banners belonging to Citizens Bank and Southwest Airlines.

Under old business, a statement by the nominating Committee requested, “If anyone is interested in running for an officer’s position on the Committee, you must send a letter of intent to the nominating Committee in care of Richard Luiz by July 31, 2001.”^[1]

Music and entertainment Chair Ken Marshall reported the crowds were very big. The US Air Force Band had already committed for the next three years. At the end of the concert, it was discovered ten chairs were missing. The missing chairs were later located by the School Department after the Committee had been billed for the loss.

Parade Chair Donna St. Angelo reported more gaps this year than usual; stilt walkers in the beginning of the parade caused most of the gaps. The Bristol Housing Authority donated all the coffee and donuts for the morning of the parade. There was praise for the new division signs.

One hundred dollars remained from the $15,000 parade budget.

[1] In this author’s thirty years of researching and reporting the history of the Committee and celebration, this is the first time in memory that members needed to be solicited to submit their names for officer’s positions.