Thousands of spectators flocked to Marietta Monday for the city’s Freedom Parade this year. The city was expecting about 30,000 people to watch the annual Freedom Parade that morning, which included 110 entries and 2,000 participants.
“Stationed in a prime spot on Marietta Square, the Buzzell family of east Cobb was trying to establish a new tradition,” the Marietta Daily Journal reports. “John Buzzell, a manager for the CSE marketing firm, said this was his family’s first time to attend the parade. He said he and his wife, Rebecca, decided their children were old enough to enjoy it this year. His daughters are Lila, 10, a student at Timber Ridge Elementary School, and Isla, 5, who goes to the Swift School — a school for children with Dyslexia and language learning differences.”
Many people traveled from their homes outside of Marietta to attend the event. John Buzzell said they live near the Roswell line, but they decided they wanted to attend Marietta’s Fourth of July celebrations, even though it was little farther away. Buzzell told the MDJ that he knew the celebration was a bigger deal in Marietta. They ended up sitting next to a veteran of the event.
“Ida Wells of Mableton, who is retired, said she has been attending the parade since its first year in 1986,” the article reads. “‘The people are friendly, and I enjoy myself,’ she said. Wells met the Buzzells on Monday morning, and they helped her carry her chair to the Square at about 8:40 a.m.”
The Freedom Parade stretched from Roswell Street Baptist Church to North Marietta Parkway. Following the parade, hordes of people reportedly attended the Fourth in the Park celebration on the Square that included an arts and crafts show, food vendors and live music.
“With bouncy houses for children to slide through and climb on, smoke for the barbecue grills wafted through the air around Marietta Square throughout the day,” the article reads. “As the sun went down Monday night, fireworks dazzled the crowd as the Fourth of July festivities came to a close.”
