City let freedom ring on July Fourth
Skies threatening rain didn’t dampen spirits as Taylor celebrated the United States’ 248th birthday Friday with July Fourth parades and festivities.
Hundreds of people lined Davis Street with fingers crossed that the precipitation would hold off just a little while longer.
The parade honoring the birth of America wound its way from Old Taylor High at 410 W. Seventh St. to Murphy Park with horns honking, sirens blaring and the Taylor High School band playing “God Bless America” as children waved flags on the sidelines and in the floats.
The Graham D. Luhn American Legion Post No. 39 hosted the event.
“We (have the parade) in the neighborhood to lower the cost so we don’t have to deal with (the Texas Department of Transportation) and all the Main Street stuff and it’s a little bit more homey,” said Mayor Dwayne Ariola, who serves as vice commander of Post No. 39. “I love coming here. We’re a community organization and we just enjoy doing this. This is our gift back to the city.” Ariola is a retired Navy master chief whose career includes serving aboard submarines.
The parade ended in the park in front of the American Legion Hall where the community was treated to free watermelon slices from A Veterans Storage, as well as no-cost ice cream and a flag-raising ceremony.
The two-part celebration traditionally features a morning parade and social activities, then an evening dance and ceremony followed by fireworks.
Karen Walker, with Williamson County Veterans Services, was this year’s grand marshal. She said it was her first time judging a parade.
“There were a lot of great floats out there, and a lot of fun activity. It was a big outcome,” Walker said. “I was glad to see a lot of people come out during the rain. It was very patriotic.”
An ornate black Jeep towing a trailer of red, white and blue decorations with a young Uncle Sam standing tall won the Grand Champion trophy. A puppy-toting vehicle from the South Texas Boston Terrier Rescue took first place and a float from Plumbing Outfitters won third place.
While the eventual rainfall did lead neighboring cities including Hutto to cancel their festivities, determined families in Taylor hung on until the end in hopes of seeing the fireworks.
At 10 p.m., the firework technicians found the break in the weather they were hoping for and Taylor was treated to what onlookers described as a spectacular show that lit up the night.
