A SUBDUED CELEBRATION
Town observes nation’s 244th birthday with annual Broad Street parade
There didn’t appear to be a particular message other than fun as a group of antique hearses made its way down Broad Street Saturday.
The crowds — a bit lighter than during a normal year, and with few masks in sight — were determined to get out there and celebrate the Fourth of July the way they’ve always done it: kicking off their barbecues with the Town of Griffith’s parade.
Griffith was the rare Lake County municipality hosting a parade this year as cities and towns canceled festivals and parades due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Eric Holcomb’s executive order for the start of Stage 5 of the state’s reopening was scaled back on Wednesday to Stage 4.5 through July 17 as new coronavirus cases ticked upward.
The Indiana State Department of Health on Saturday reported 52 new cases of COVID-19 in Lake County, bringing the county’s total to 5,104 with 242 deaths. Both totals are the second-most in the state behind Maron County. Of Lake County’s positive cases, the greatest demographic with positive test results have been those 2029 years of age with 16.8%, followed at 16.7% for those 50-59 and the 40-49 age group at 16.5%, according to the state.
Jeovanny DeJesus, of Highland, and his 12-yearold-son, Nickolas, were heading to family for a day of swimming and fireworks after the parade passed.
Instead of getting up close, the two hung back on picnic tables in the shade in Central Park, not wanting to get too close to others. The heat alone might’ve been enough to keep DeJesus away from the sundrenched street.
“This heat, man. It’s why I took my hat off,” DeJesus said. “But we just came out to see what (the town was going to have).”
“I like the cars,” Nickolas added.
The Jacobs family knew there were fewer people because they could actually see the parade from their front yard on Pine Street, which is where they decided would be the best place to view primarily vehicle-filled parade.
“If this were a normal year, we’d have set up on the corner,” Lori Jacobs said as she, her mom, Myrna Vandergriff; kids Emma and Ben Jacobs and husband Bob Jacobs, watched it unfettered, cool drinks in their hands.
“There’d be no way to see anything from here because of all the people.”
Isla Williams, 3, guzzled down a full bottle of sports drink while mom, Emily Williams, and grandma Wendy Spencer collected their stuff to head home and her aunt, Molly Hitt, took selfies with her fiance, Ivan Martinez. Isla’s dad, Steve Williams, noticed there were less people as well.
“This right here, and about 15 feet around it, is our usual spot every year,” Williams said, gesturing to their area near the corner of Broad and Pine streets. “We’re missing about four people.”
“Including a newborn,” Emily Wiliams added.
Once Auntie Molly coaxed Isla into giving up the bigger-than-her sports drink, Isla turned her attention to her “squishy,” a heart-shaped stress ball of which she excitedly told her family she liked the smell. Alas, it was only the secondmost favorite thing of the parade.
“The candy,” she said, smiling, eyeing her giant haul flung from most of the cars. “And the princesses.”
“Of course she would say the princesses. I was hoping for the cars,” Steve Williams said.