It is a twenty minute drive into downtown Bar Harbor from our current RV park. It was obvious as we jump into the car and take off down the road (before coffee or breakfast) toward Bar Harbor that we are not the only ones interested in the parade. Halfway to town the traffic came to a crawl. We joined everyone parking along side the road and walked the last mile into town. It was an easy downhill walk amid kids, strollers, bikers and backpack bearing people of all ages with some even carrying folding chairs. This was the second day of sun and it felt like the true Fourth of July outing with lots of people wearing the red, white and blue. Patriotism is alive and well in Maine.
We ducked into Bar Harbor’s Hannaford Grocery store and grabbed a cheese Danish and a jelly doughnut and then claimed a spot next to a parked car to watch the parade after confirming we were on a street traversed by the parade. They were telling the truth when they said Fourth of July Parades are a big event in Maine. The streets were packed with people of all ages anticipating the parade.
One thing we noticed once the parade began was the huge participation of numerous Shriner groups with a multitude of little cars they powered in circles and back and forth up and down the street delighting young and old alike with their red Shriner fez tassels bobbing in the breeze behind them. The usual assortment of township fire trucks passed by tossing candy to the kids along the street who stood prepared with plastic sacks for collecting their bounty.
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| Happiness is Elmo. |
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| The Shriner vehicles and drivers put on quite a show. |
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| Everyone loves a water fountain. |
We slipped away for breakfast at Jake’s Diner toward the end of the parade and watched the final action from our seats near the front windows while enjoying wild blueberry pancakes and our first cup of coffee for the day. Incredible food left us overly full and ready to walk toward the Harbor to work off our calories. The sidewalks were crowded with people enjoying the warmth and sun along with just about every grassy spot in the park overlooking the Harbor. We strolled through several shops and visited Sherman’s Book Store (the oldest book store in Maine) where I searched to no avail for a historical account of this area to my liking... (not sure exactly what I wanted but nothing tempted me beyond a few seconds in lieu of my Kindle options.)
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| Patriotic lobster on parade... |
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| Bar Harbor color and the moose on the roof. |
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| The four masted schooner in sunshine. |
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| Ready for the parade. |
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| Ice Cream on the 4th - of course! |
Snoopy’s Corner:
Looking out the windows here is one of my favorite things to do especially in the morning. There are birds around then (black Starlings) which I love to watch especially now that we have sunshine. Maine is a good place to be on the 4th of July.
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