Traditional Northville Parade set for July 5

The Northville Independence Day Parade may be a little short on marchers this year, but it is sure to be long on enthusiasm.

The annual event, a tradition in the community, was cancelled last year due to the pandemic. A smaller, scaled-down version of one of the largest and most popular parades in the state is planned to step off at 10 a.m. July 5 from the parking lot at Northville Downs. As usual, the parade will include floats, appearances from various club and sports mascots, antique cars and many other traditional entries.

The theme this year is America the Beautiful and organizers have limited participation to only 50 entries.

The event, as always, is free to the public and is sponsored by St. Mary Hospital which has provided the major funding for the event for more than a decade. 

As always, no tickets are needed for the parade which will follow a different route than usual.

This year, the parade will end at Our Lady of Victory, 133 Orchard Dr. off the Main Street parking lot. 

The parade is organized by the Northville Chamber of Commerce and a spokesman noted that the goal this year is a chance to bring “a little normalcy to our community” following the restrictions necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The parade will be back to full strength in 2022, but let's enjoy ourselves in 2021,” she said. COVID 19 protocols will be in place, including the requirement to wear a mask if not fully vaccinated and social distancing, she added.