‘Static’ Fourth of July Parade Attended by Hundreds

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The “static” Fourth of July parade in Chehalis Saturday was soundtracked by the fife and drums of a marching revolutionary war reenactment group and the cheers of parade viewers and participants alike.

Dozens of cars lined the road leading up to the event held on the land between the Veterans Memorial Museum and the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad & Museum on Independence Day.

The drive-through parade was open from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad & Museum was offering train rides at 75 percent capacity at 1, 3, and 5 p.m. which took 188 people on rides throughout the day. 

“The partnership between the railroad and the Veterans Museum was spectacular. The train rides, the parade, the music, the food, and vendors were like an old fashioned Fourth of July.  It was a smashing event,” said Mary Kay Nelson, marketing director for the Chehalis-Centralia Railroad & Museum. 

In light of the COVID-19 outbreak and the many event cancelations, the idea of the static parade where spectators could view the displays and floats from their vehicles and maintain a safe distance was a great compromise to the traditional Fourth of July parade held in Centralia, said Chip Duncan, director of the Veterans Memorial Museum and one of the event organizers. 

There were many displays and floats set up including those for politicians running in the upcoming primary election, civil and revolutionary war reenactment groups dressed in historically accurate clothing, and other local organizations that handed out candy and hand sanitizer. 

Some of the displays included Little Miss Friendly with the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds, Miss Mount St. Helens, a Donald Trump booth and other political displays, Daughters of the American Revolution, and Kitty Kat Haven.

Bonanza BBQ offered food to parade attendees and Nelson said they sold out of all of the chicken, ribs, mac & cheese and cornbread that they had prepared for the day. 



Linda Soule made the drive from Bellingham in order to be a part of the Revolutionary War reenactment group in attendance, which she has been involved with for 20 years.

“I feel a little bit like an animal at the zoo with all of these cars just driving by but in a good way,” Soule said with a laugh. “I’m just really happy to see so many people come out,” she said.

Soule said that she enjoys being a part of the reenactment group because she is able to hang out with her friends and combine her love of history and music since she plays in the fife and drum group.

As cars entered the static parade line they passed by a row of Boy Scouts holding large American flags. Jeremy Schleke with boy Scout Troop 373 said that he has been involved with the Boy Scouts for 35 years. He said that an important part of being in the Boy Scouts is understanding the history of the scout's home country and so he was happy troop 373 was able to be a part of the parade this year.

County Commissioner Edna Fund said that she thought the parade was a great idea and that it was a wonderful compromise to the canceled parade because people could stay in their cars and keep a safe distance. The parade participants could wear masks and gloves to keep everyone safe when handing out candy.

“Throwing candy has been a problem at the Centralia parade but now I can just walk up to the car and hand the kids the candy. ... It’s great to see that so many people came out today,” said Fund.