(La Porte, IN) - This year’s La Porte 4th of July Parade is prepped for another patriotic showing. Here’s everything you need to know:
The theme of the 77th annual event is “Made in America – With Home Town Pride.”
The Kiwanis Club of La Porte is organizing the parade for the third straight year.
Road closures are scheduled for 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday.
Barring last-minute change, the parade will begin following a military flyover of two A-10 Warthog fighter planes from the 122nd Fighter Wing out of Ft. Wayne. “As Indiana Capital for the Day, LaPorte will once again have a flyover,” said Kiwanian and Parade Co-Chair Dawn Zigler. “As of press time, that military flyover is set for 10:10. This year’s pre-parade flyover tradition will be done with two A10 Warthogs, flown by members of 122nd Fighter Wing, out of Ft. Wayne.”
The parade route, as always, will proceed west down Lincolnway, starting at Tipton and ending near Andrew Avenue.
This year’s parade is bigger and better. 113 entries are registered this year, compared to 85 last year. Co-organizer Drummond Osborn says local businesses have made an extra effort this year to create old-fashioned floats befitting a traditional parade.
Six dignitaries will share honors of marshaling the parade, including: Grand Parade Marshal, The New York Blower Company; Honorary Grand Marshals Craig Dwight and Julie West; Celebration Marshals the 2023 3A State Champion New Prairie softball team, New Prairie assistant football coach Bill Gumm, and the Slicer Tech robotics team.
As for parade floats, expect quite a variety. Along with antique cars, clowns, politicians, five bands, eleven fire departments, and multiple other first responders, crowd favorites like Purdue’s Boilermaker Express, Mangled Axles Jeep Krew, and Guardian Riders will follow the giant American flag carried by local Boy Scouts.
