The streets of Warren Village will be alive with revelers next week when the Warren Fourth of July parade begins at 10 a.m. The theme for the 74th Fourth of July parade is “Sounds of Freedom.” This year the Grand Marshal is the music educators of Harwood Union High School – Chris Rivers and Bruce Sklar.
The parade and subsequent street dance and party take place in Warren Village with Colin Holter, Eli Leppla and their energetic band of musicians rocking up on the porch of The Warren Store around 11:15 a.m.
Revelers can also take the Warren Village Path from Brook Road to the elementary school for kids' activities at the school (Brooks Field) led by KidVentures with music by Phineas Gage. Listen to the tunes and enjoy refreshments as Toast and Eggs sells Lawson’s beer in the designated beer garden. Food vendors begin serving food. That will start at 11:30 a.m.
The Warren Village and Brooks Field activities wind down around 3 p.m. when Warren’s streets re-open.
The Warren Fourth of July parade event will offer offsite parking at Sugarbush Lincoln Peak. Full-sized school buses will begin a continuous loop to and from Warren Village beginning at 8 a.m. and continuing until 4 p.m. Pick up is in front of Clay Brook at Sugarbush Lincoln Peak and will travel south on the Sugarbush Access Road and then south on Route 100. The bus will not make any stops to pick up riders along the route unless the bus has available space and it is safe to pull completely off the road. Riders are strongly encouraged to get to Lincoln Peak to ensure a ride to the parade. There is no charge to ride the bus. Dogs will not be allowed on the bus, with the exception of licensed Guide Dogs. Pick up after the parade is at the Covered Bridge Road and Route 100. There are no other satellite parking areas.
No Parking signs will be posted along Route 100 where it is not safe to pull fully off the road, as well as alongside roads, including West Hill, Ellen Lane, Lincoln Gap, Covered Bridge Road, Fuller Hill, Brook Road, and parts of School Road. There is limited parking available at Brooks Field around the perimeter of the property, with the Village Path found at the far-left corner (as one faces the school) along the tree line.
Respect the No Parking signs in order to ensure emergency vehicles safe access to emergency calls. For more info, visit www.warren4thofjuly.com
BUDDY BADGES
Upon arrival in Warren Village before the parade, people can purchase Buddy Badges for a $1 entry fee at each gate into town and have a chance to win a prize if they spot someone with their matching number. All proceeds collected go to support the event, and donations over $1 are welcome! Those who don’t get a badge at the gate, can find parade wrangler Susan Klein roaming Main Street selling badges. Dozens of pairs of prizes have been donated by residents and business owners. Gates open at 8 a.m. when vendors must arrive.
Warren Village is closed to vehicles at north Main Street entrance to the intersection of south Main Street and Covered Bridge Road, intersection of Brook Road and School Road to Main Street and the intersection of Fuller Hill and Main Street. Only emergency and pre-authorized traffic will be allowed through. Parking for individuals with disabilities will be at the municipal building and at the grist stone/commuter parking area. Handicap parking placard must be clearly displayed. Arrive before 8:30 a.m. Parking on roads accessing Warren Village will be limited to one side only to allow access for emergency vehicles.
Floats need to arrive between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. and are asked to enter the village from South Main Street and Route 100 (not Covered Bridge Road) and line up in the order of arrival or as assigned by the float patrol. Floats and marchers are asked stay in the order assigned. Floats and marchers do not need to register; simply show up. No horses are allowed.
WDEV begins its broadcast live on 96.1 FM from the porch of the Pitcher Inn at 9:30 a.m. and MRVTV broadcasts live for Youtube, Waitsfield Cable channel 44 and on its website mvrvt.com.
LIFT RIDES
Once things wind down in Warren Village, things will be ramping up at Sugarbush. And just for July 4, Lawson’s Finest Liquids and Barr Hill will be offering free lift rides to the public on the Super Bravo Express Quad. Guests can ride the lift for free, disembarking at the top of Gadd Peak with views of the Mad River Valley and Lincoln Peak, as well as access to summit hiking and Allyn’s Lodge. Scenic lift rides are available the other three days for fee or with an Ikon Pass or Sugarbush Local Pass.
That is part of the resort’s four-day celebration, getting underway July 1 and including daily live music, mountain activities, arts and crafts, games, and more. Each day boasts special activities like sunflower seed planting, a rubber ducky drop off the Super Bravo Express Quad, T-shirt tie dying, mini golf, snow gun waterfalls, and face painting on top of the typical mountain activities offered including scenic lift rides, bungee trampoline, disc golf, mountain biking, and golf.
Additionally, there will be three musical acts each day from noon through 9 p.m. sponsored by Lawson’s Finest Liquids. Artists include The Grift, Quasi Kings, The Detonators, Al’s Pals, Guitfiddle, Kip and Coe, and DJ Chris Logan.
Sugarbush will also be hosting a Dog Parade and Gogo Pet Contest benefitting Pawsitive Pantry on the Fourth. This is in addition to the above activities, as well as the Warren Fourth of July Parade, where Sugarbush will have a float, and fireworks set for 9 p.m. that night at Lincoln Peak.
For more information on July 4 and all Sugarbush events, visit www.sugarbush.com. \
The parade is produced by the Mad River Valley Rotary Club under the volunteer hand of Susan Klein of Fayston. There is no alcohol allowed in Warren Village, with that rule strictly enforced by security personnel.
Street cleanup is sponsored and performed by A&J Recycling.
- Event organizer this year is Susan Klein. Doug Bergstein and Allison Duckworth are parade announcers. Karl Klein is float patrol; Karen Anderson is the head judge handler.
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