Record-setting celebration in Creswell
»Play Video
CRESWELL, Ore. - Monday's Fourth of July parade in Creswell was the largest in city history.
The event featured 140 floats, trucks and marching bands, up from 119 in 2010.
"This is really the biggest parade that I've been to in Oregon," said John Ross, whose float, sponsored by Bates Steakhouse, involved him roasting a pig on a grill behind a truck. "It's just so much fun."
No clouds were in sight as two F-15 fighter jets soared above Oregon Avenue to kick off the 22nd annual parade.
"That was massively awesome," said Bob Pearson, a first-time parade-goer who came down from Eugene, after the planes roared past.
By 11 a.m., families lined the streets of downtown Creswell, hoisting flags and rubbing themselves with sunscreen. Children waited for a chance to leap from the curb for some candy.
One of the more popular parade entries was a group of vintage lawnmowers, painstakingly refurbished from the early half of the century. Parade watchers also caught a glimpse of Miss Oregon, a poodle colored red, white and blue and a half-dozen low riders bouncing on hydraulic shocks.
"My favorite was the balloons," said Kaycee Fox, taking in her first parade. "And the chihuahuas."
Ed Gunderson of Creswell got a chance to show off the futuristic bicycle he built at home.
"It's called a Velomobile," said Gunderson, pausing for a moment on the route. "It's a human powered, totally enclosed bicycle."
The parade also featured many tributes to sacrifice, and moments that honored military veterans, including an appearance from the color guard of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Mandy Fox, Kaycee's mom, said to her, that's what the Fourth of July is all about.
"It's honoring those who've fought for our freedom," she said.
