The Norwich Parade is making a comeback this year. The parade began in 1949 and was held for decades prior to stopping about 10 years ago. These photographs show parade participants from years past. (Courtesy Richard Neugass)
The Norwich Parade is making a comeback this year. The parade began in 1949 and was held for decades prior to stopping about 10 years ago. These photographs show parade participants from years past. (Courtesy Richard Neugass) Credit: —Courtesy photograph

Norwich — Everybody loves a parade. And for decades in Norwich, residents really, really loved the annual parade in the lead-up to the Norwich Fair.

“When I grew up here, the parade was every year,” recalled Dan Fraser, of Dan & Whit’s. “It was like a homecoming.”

Residents who were away on summer vacation made a point to make it back to town for the weekend’s festivities.

“The whole town would just come out and see it,” said Fraser, who is on the Norwich Parade Committee.

About a decade ago, the parade stopped. This summer, its making a comeback.

“The hope really is to bring back an event that we used to see the streets lined for,” said Rose Smith, who oversaw the parade beginning in the 1990s as part of the town’s Olde Home Day celebration.

The idea came about when Smith, now a Lebanon resident, attended a holiday concert at Marion Cross School to see some of her grandchildren perform. In a conversation with Principal Bill Hammond, the parade came up. “He has been a very strong supporter,” Smith said.

There was a matter of funding to consider, however, and that’s where Fraser came in. Soon, $1,700 had been raised.

“People are very excited to have the parade come back,” Smith said.

And so at 10 a.m. on July 22 — the Saturday of the weekend of the annual Norwich Fair — the revived parade will start at Marion Cross School, go north on Main Street to Hazen Street, then loop back around to the school.

Fifteen groups so far, including the Lyme Community Band and Upper Valley Community Band, have said they will participate. Smith, co-chair of the Norwich Parade Committee, hopes to see that number rise. Participation is open to all and not limited to residents of Norwich.

“I suspect in the old days, as we call them now, I would get 60 to 70 entries in the parade,” she said. “There were a lot of neighborhood floats.”

While organizers don’t expect the parade to come back in full force this year, the theme of “Into the Future” is hopeful.

“That’s where we want to take the parade, too,” Smith said.

“I just think there’s nothing better you can do for a community than have a parade on a summer day,” she said.

Editor’s note: To participate in the parade, contact Smith at rosemswift@aol.com or 603-276-0900. Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.

Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.