HINGHAM - The town's annual Fourth of July Parade is five months away, but the parade committee is in full swing already. The committee recently chose its theme, recruited elementary students for logo design and began planning the fundraisers necessary to make the event, which draws roughly 25,000 viewers annually, a reality.
This year's parade them is "Cheers for Hingham Volunteers," taking a detour from the usual military or veteran-related themes of the past. Parade committee chair Jim Murphy said he was inspired by the Rose Parade, which had "Making A Difference" as its theme this year.
"We wanted something positive. There is a lot of negativity out there," he said. "We've done a lot with military soldiers and heroes, but we wanted to honor those who help right here in Hingham."
Hingham has been hosting town celebrations of the Fourth of July on and off since 1832. These days, the festivities begin with a road race and the parade kicks off from Hingham High School at 10 a.m. Murphy said the parade usually has 1,200 participants who are politicians, musicians and members of local organizations.
"It’s definitely a tradition, everyone has their routine. It’s a full-day event that brings people back on a regular basis," Murphy said. "It's an old-fashioned parade."
Currently, fifth grade students from the elementary schools in town are designing logos they think best represent the theme. The winner's design will be put on 5,500 buttons to be sold at local business and by the rotary club. The parade costs between $40,000 and $50,000 to put on each year, and the buttons are a large part of the fundraising, Murphy said.
Funds also come from corporate donations, a spring golf tournament at the South Shore Country Club and the 50 Flags Campaign, where residents can pay $50 to have 50 flags on display in their yard for the week of the holiday.
"It’s our way of supporting the service men and women in the military and also raising some money for the parade at the same time," Murphy said of the campaign. "It’s just taken off. It was amazing. "
Murphy said this year's theme was also chosen in memory of Virginia Gray, a longtime Hingham resident who died in January. Gray was founder of the Lincoln Sailing Center, now Hingham Maritime Center; president of the first Hingham Citizens Police Academy; member of the Hingham Citizens Fire Academy; member of the Citizens Emergency Response Team and was granted the People-to-People Sports Committee Recognition Award from President Ronald Reagan.
"She did so much for the town and for the area. We wanted sometime to dedicate to her as well," Murphy said. "The word 'cheers’ has taken on a different meeting. You'd think of it as a toasting of glasses or beer mugs, but now it's also used to say thanks, so that was our thinking."
Mary Whitfill can be reached at mwhitfill@ledger.com.