The Northshore Children’s Parade, a neighborhood tradition, couldn’t be rained out Thursday, July 4.

Text and Photos
By Lilli Dwyer
InkFreeNews

SYRACUSE — Muggy weather and rain showers didn’t stop the residents of Syracuse’s East Eli Lilly Road from participating in a neighborhood tradition Thursday, July 4. The Northshore Children’s Parade features kids of all ages in patriotic garb marching through backyards along the Wawasee lakefront. They wave flags and bang on pots and pans while led by organizers Rick Winter and John Feighner.

Before they chowed down on cookies and juice at the end of the parade, Winter quizzed the kids on the history of Independence Day and early America. Teenager Anna Winter was the one to correctly name George Washington’s wife, Martha Washington.

This year’s event also saw a new addition, a kickball game played after everyone had partaken of the refreshments.

“There’s so many kids now, it’s good for them to get to know each other by playing together,” said Bob Fanning, who refereed the game. Fanning has lived in the neighborhood for 22 years and also helps out with the parade.

To the kids who march every year, the Children’s Parade is a fact of life. 11-year-old Charlotte O’Brien mentioned she had been doing it for as long as she could remember.

Many of the parents who accompanied their kids to the parade were part of it themselves in their youth. Among them was longtime lakeside resident Betsy Miller, whose grandfather Jack Feighner started the parade back in the 60s with fellow veteran Bill Beemer. Miller’s daughter, Molly, has been participating in the parade since she was a baby.

As for what keeps everybody coming back, Miller first laughed and stated, “the cookies.”

Upon further thought, she said, “it’s got to be the camaraderie.”