Not Quite Independence Day 2021 turns on the charm
By Jackson Moffett | Community News Service
![Friends Lucy Ely-Pagan and Anne Imhoff get ready to celebrate along the Not Quite Independence Day parade route. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478402594-RLTX8D80BSYQNGRJDTSX/NQID+Anne+and+Lucy_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Waterbury Ambulance Service leads the parade as the grand marshal. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478462617-8VONXRXTAEEQA7E7UD94/NQID+Waterbury+Ambulance_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Gov. Phil Scott cruises well under the speed limit with Ken Squier in his sidecar for the parade. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478434842-AWJRD1PQCSTLCC6ZDFW3/NQID+Phil+and+Ken_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Gov. Scott’s Vermont State Police security detail becomes a parade entry following right behind the chief executive. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478420080-OW0LICZV1XT54S5NEFJB/NQID+Gov+security+detail_Lisa+S.jpg)
![The American Legion Post 59 Color Guard never misses an NQID parade. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478424603-X75IDZTZ1L45LLUUK53C/NQID+Legion+color+guard_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Waterbury Fire Department members celebrate the Roaring 20s theme with the vintage pumper apparatus. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478473321-TYM62GWBP8WF8ZJ1A4HG/Old+pumper_LScagliotti.jpg)
![Volunteers with the American Legion hand out small U.S. flags to the crowd. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478425679-IDHKLEIXC43KCF8EEXIM/NQID+Legion+flags+_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Wesley United Methodist Church was prepared with cool bottled water for parade-goers. Photo by Jackson Moffett](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478461080-7N95CJKKXZD1AO84C9GY/NQID+water+Methodist+Church.jpeg)
![U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., join Vermont elected officials including state Rep. Tom Stevens and Lt. Gov. Molly Gray for the parade. Photo by Jackson Moffett](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478402996-V8XL1LZ7GGQA8L7ZS89J/NQID+Bernie+Peter+Tom_JMoffett.jpeg)
![The Waterbury Area Trails Alliance dresses for the Roaring 20s. And of course they’re on bikes. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478459901-W2FU9175WHBGZUWZVL4E/NQID+WATA_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Amy Scharf makes riding a bike in heels look easy with the WATA entry. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478399995-BXCEHKN8SX3NGRRXCAP5/NQID+Amy+Scharf+WATA_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Who wants to walk when you can ride? The Central Vermont Animal Response Team includes working dogs called upon in emergencies. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478400902-OTJX2YLQ4QLJQCDG5D8W/NQID+Animal+Response_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Bolton was one of the nearby fire companies to join in the parade. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478405167-07ZC0E3QX8YNTJ6IIG0U/NQID+Bolton+fire+_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Musical entries like the Waterbury Community Band keep the mood festive for NQID. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478409827-TGUPM47ZQCR46WP26OX3/NQID+Community+Band_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Outgoing Waterbury Rotary Club President Dan McKibben enjoys the ride after months of NQID planning to navigate traditions and public health concerns of the pandemic. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478411492-SXZ1531BRYD4ABBDE3LE/NQID+Dan+McKibben+Rotary_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Friends of the Waterbury Reservoir don’t mind being a fish out of water as they guide their canoe down Main Street. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478414054-GMSVEWCO2XOMW1XAH08L/NQID+Friends+of+the+Reservoir_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Cabot’s float features longtime Waterbury dairy farmer Rosina Wallace with some new generation dairy family members and a calf. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478406341-BQH077OOMTD658X0KT6I/NQID+Cabot+float+_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Tanner Griffith rides the Cabot float with his daughter Harper and their calf, Buck. His wife Carley and young son Levi walk alongside. They make handing out cheese at a parade cool. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478409655-XCV3SO538TBDD6XYA4HX/NQID+calf+and+family_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Local Girl Scouts skipped many group events in the past year but made it together for NQID. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478417632-EO826D61O9VHXHATH275/NQID+Girl+Scouts_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Green Mountain Performing Arts dancers dance their way down Main Street. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478419158-9A6AJFYCRUZVN4JVF3TI/NQID+GMPA+dancers_LScagliotti.jpg)
![JA McDonald’s shiny clean earth mover transports employees and their family members down a familiar stretch of Main Street where they’ve been working for three summer seasons. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478421521-R5VB0U9FF680U6AA66TE/NQID+JA+McDonald_Lisa+Scagliotti+.jpg)
![Parade-goers stretched out all along Main Street on a parade-perfect afternoon. Waterbury Fire Department proves there are many uses for a ladder truck, too. Photo by Sarah Milligan](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478427075-KBIBHS0NHTTB6POKQH3E/NQID+Main+Street+Wide_SMilligan.jpg)
![MakerSphere teachers and cheerleaders MK Monley and Mame McKee front their youth-built float. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478433681-8NJQULWAPM6442DSW3F0/NQID+MakerSphere+MK_Mame_Lisa+S.jpg)
![John Bauer rides along with the MakerSphere group on his throwback bicycle. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478431048-V6VZR5ORW22JSYTEEXSO/NQID+MakerSphere+John+Bauer_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Hadley Gilson savors the moment after a week of float-building and costume-making at MakerSphere. Photo by Michaela Milligan](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626491253449-0V4M224GGJSAESHX7PZW/NQID+MakerSphere+student_Michaela+Milligan.jpg)
![No parade is complete without a pipe band. St. Andrews Pipe Band is a perennial entry in NQID. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478440681-SARP78XG2WOT9YHH7H9X/NQID+pipe+band_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Rusty Parker Memorial Park is the hub for NQID. Photo by Jackson Moffett](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478453732-YH2F6906V5XEFQQE1WDB/NQID+Sign_JMoffett.jpeg)
![That’s washable marker, right? Waterbury Recreation’s new van gets a festive look for NQID. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478447051-R8BD6AIRK81V38YHYCHI/NQID+Rec+Van_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Joy Tyo and her crew with her new Hometown Tours & Rides delivery business get into the 20s theme. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478449566-K28MVJB3FBDTFAZYIC62/NQID+Rotarians_Lisa+S.jpg)
![The Shriners have all the best toys and costumes. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478450710-UZE58UNISDD0M1ZDKYIA/NQID+Shriner+in+camel+suit_Lisa+S.jpg)
![These guys travel 10 times the distance of anyone else in the parade. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626519309640-VY4TES2HSI5T929J6QA8/NQID+Shriner+low+5_lisa.jpg)
![A Roaring 20s parade on a sunny summer day is a perfect occasion to break out the 1929 Buick. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478399129-WLKAQ3OJLKJE3J3SMWI8/NQID+1929+car_Lisa+S.jpg)
![The hot wheels from Thunder Road took it easy on Main Street. That’s Thomas Peck in the lead. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478442821-UXMLN2BH8SHKGVIXF87T/NQID+race+cars_Lisa+S.jpg)
![ST Paving is a familiar sight in Waterbury. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478454987-I2BY1L4JWAEM9X1AY05D/NQID+ST+Paving+driver_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Heavy construction and paving rigs have been a regular part of downtown life in Waterbury the past few summers. ST Paving dresses up for the occasion. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478456669-ZA5YEYEU7TUX8SU8UESB/NQID+ST+Paving+machine_Lisa+S.jpg)
![The high school rock band The Dew rocks out on their float with some of their biggest fans along for the parade. Moms can be groupies too. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478458597-SOLUBBZXZ38EB9VVQI7X/NQID+The+Dew_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Zenbarn Farms takes their show on the road for NQID. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478467145-97IT6ST3VTIBEFEZLQ22/NQID+Zenbarn_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Bernie got some of the biggest cheers along the parade route. Photo by Sarah Milligan](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626492830032-T4H67W71P0R8RK8F53Z4/NQID+Bernie+Sanders+waves_Sarah+Milligan+.jpg)
![Valerie Rogers and friends made a pandemic-themed ‘Roaring 20s’ Main Street lawn sign display saluting heroes of the pandemic, cheering new pastimes from lockdown, and more. Photos by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478468543-5HOZV4LXMCSV8EC13XS5/NQUD+lawn+signs+1_Lisa+S.jpg)
![The signs ‘roar’ for making it through COVID-19. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478470261-IN7TGHTKQMWVQYCVHWF2/NQUD+lawn+signs+2_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Who didn’t get a new hobby at home in 2020? Or at least eat more snacks. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478423460-OGTDCHVPGWDTGGJ40X5E/NQID+lawn+signs+3_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Masks, takeout and more. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478471797-5B7WEFIE15WGKR16X70S/NQUD+lawn+signs+5_Lisa+S.jpg)
![Members of the Waterbury Area Anti-Racism Coalition marched in their first NQID with their brightly colored lawn signs that have become a familiar sight in town in the past year. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626478476144-2GAX3L9C3Q85617X0V5M/WAARC_LScagliotti.jpg)
![Tom Thurston snaps a selfie with Vermont’s popular junior U.S. Senator. Afterward on social media, snapshots with Bernie were about as plentiful as those mitten memes from the inauguration. Photo by Michaela Milligan](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626492829964-1WRX6EKMW87RE59M8OEY/NQID+Tom+Thurston_Bernie_Michaela+Milligan.jpg)
![Kids of all ages love construction rigs. This gang of JA McDonald employees and kids waits for the fireworks to begin. Photo by Gordon Miller](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626491253474-AE86DMVGSCEFCQ2C5K5I/NQID+JA+McDonald+kids+loader+pre-fireworks+1+gm.jpg)
![Where were you for the fireworks show? Gordon Miller caught the sights from the River Road in Duxbury. Photo by Gordon Miller](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626491618187-BC5QRVL6I7TWU1CQU31Z/NQID+2021+Fireworks+from+Duxbury+River+rd+1+gm.jpg)
![Waterbury and Duxbury have waited since 2019 for a fireworks show. It didn’t disappoint. Photo by Gordon Miller](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626491618363-M8QRZC36AVDJK14STPKA/NQID+2021+Fireworks+from+Duxbury+River+rd+2+gm.jpg)
![The fireworks begin just as the last hints of daylight disappear. Photo by Gordon Miller](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626491618875-S56SKW3I17SJPSLREZVH/NQID+2021+Fireworks+from+Duxbury+River+rd+5+gm.jpg)
![Photo by Gordon Miller](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626491619623-KSZKW18MDOOH4NPOL2UM/NQID+2021+Fireworks+from+Duxbury+River+rd+8+gm.jpg)
![A car makes its way down the River Road under the fireworks’ glow. Photo by Gordon Miller](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626491619942-EM221900LKUCF479HRQ7/NQID+2021+Fireworks+from+Duxbury+River+rd+9+gm.jpg)
![The finale … until next year. Photo by Gordon Miller](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e9087558f18b57ded1d9a93/1626491620351-820TIUVTDNKQPX6596PO/NQID+2021+Fireworks+from+Duxbury+River+rd+10+gm.jpg)
With bright sunshine and mostly maskless people lining Main Street, Waterbury celebrated its long-awaited Not Quite Independence Day with a parade and party and fireworks regardless of it being July 10 last Saturday.
After calling off the annual festivities in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers from the Waterbury Rotary Club this year aimed for a date when public health restrictions were bound to be lifted. As it turned out, the customary weekend before July 4 would have worked given Vermont’s progress on vaccinations that led Gov. Phil Scott to lift mandates around mask-wearing and gathering sizes in mid-June.
But the community turned out nonetheless with perfect parade weather and a date that attracted firetrucks from miles around and some favorite Vermont celebrities.
The governor in short sleeves, khakis and a cap took a leisurely roll down Main Street on a motorcycle well-suited for the occasion. Its side car was perfect for longtime friend and WDEV Radio patriarch Ken Squier to ride along. The pair smiled and waved to cheers from the crowd along the route. The 86-year-old Squier’s health was a topic of concern last winter when he was hospitalized with COVID-19.
WDEV patriarch Ken Squier rides along with Gov. Phil Scott in Waterbury's Not Quite Independence Day parade last Saturday, July 10. Through Scott's career as a racecar driver at Thunder Road Speedbowl, he and Squier, a NASCAR Hall of Fame sportscaster, are old friends. Photo by Sarah Milligan
Despite NQID missing a year, Waterbury community members assembled for the big event in short order ahead of the 4 p.m. parade start. Before the first parade float started rolling, preparations were under way. The Wesley United Methodist Church put large bins full of cold water bottles for passerbyers to take free of charge. Empty lawn chairs were planted along the street as people claimed their viewing spots and vendors set up in Rusty Parker Memorial Park.
Waterbury Fire Department Lt. Em Lamson surveyed the scene at the staging area near the State Office Complex. “It’s nice that without COVID, things have opened up to where we can have a parade,” she said. “I think a lot of people in general are looking forward to going out and seeing people and seeing people's faces without a mask on and doing something community-oriented.”
Up and down the street as people awaited the first flashing lights at the front of the parade, people stopped to greet each other, exchanging hugs and snapping photos under the large flag hoisted by a ladder truck in front of the firestation.
NQID usually falls on the Saturday before the Fourth of July, serving as the kickoff for the holiday celebrations in the area. This year, it wrapped up the holiday with a theme of “The Roaring 20s” featuring many floats adorned with art deco designs and participants dressed in flapper dresses and throwback suits and suspenders.
Waterbury Volunteer Fire Department took their Seth Warner Engine Co. vintage pumper out for NQID in a nod to the parade's theme of "The Roaring 20s." Photo by Jackson Moffett
The Waterbury Fire Department celebrated the theme by showcasing the Seth Warner Engine Co. pumper during the parade. Lamson described the vintage engine as “an old, horse-drawn pumper which now is an antique kept in the station in a museum-like” display. Nine firefighters escorted it down Main Street.
Numerous other firetrucks and apparatus joined the parade with their crews waving from Stowe, Moretown and Bolton, some of Waterbury’s closest neighboring towns.
And while some of the usual activities of the day were skipped this year – the Green Mountain Mile fun run foot race and the larger carnival-type attractions were postponed – a last-minute decision by organizers to allow parade parade participants to toss candy and trinkets to onlookers sparked a great deal of joy and excitement as the parade got under way.
Not to disappoint as Waterbury’s parade often involves more than candy flying through the air, giveaways along the route included Cabot cheese squares and Darn Tough socks. Waterbury Rotary’s entire float promoted their fundraiser raffle to win an electric bike.
Waterbury Ambulance Service celebrating its 50th anniversary and its recent honor as Vermont’s ambulance service of the year was chosen to be the grand marshall of the parade. Afterward on Facebook, WASI thanked Rotary for the honor and posted photos of crew members in and after the parade.
“We could not believe the number of cheers and thank you’s we heard from the crowd. Our crew was so grateful after a long, wild year,” their message said. “We even got a couple photo ops with U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and Governor Phil Scott who were such great leaders through the pandemic.”
Fireworks rain down over Waterbury village as seen from River Road in Duxbury. Photo by Gordon Miller
Many community organizations entered floats, walking groups, and even several ensembles playing live music. The Waterbury Community Band packed its flatbed trailer with many musicians. Band member Janet Fuhrmeister said she was excited to be there. “[It’s] so nice to be able to see everyone again and play again,” she said.
Other musicians included the high school band The Dew and a band with Zenbarn promoting their weekly live music events.
With no other parade conflicts on the 10th of July, state and local political leaders joined in the celebration. In addition to Sanders and Scott, U.S. Rep. Peter Welch walked alongside Lt. Gov. Molly Gray. State Reps. Tom Stevens and Theresa Wood and several state senators were in attendance as well.
Now a popular former presidential candidate as well as one-third of Vermont’s Congressional delegation, Sanders walked along stopping for numerous handshakes, photos and even a few hugs. Behind him supporters carried banners and signs looking to bring attention to policies being proposed in Washington.
New this year was an entry from the Waterbury Area Anti-Racism Coalition formed last year to bring awareness to issues of racial and social justice. Another sign of the times was the winner of the youth float category from MakerSphere. Student artists created a COVID-themed float with a larger-than-life bottle of hand sanitizer, a giant Zoom screen with their faces pictured in squares, and one participant dressed in a virus molecule costume.
Other youth groups included youngsters from Waterbury Rec’s summer camp and Green Mountain Performing Arts dance students.
Likely for the final year, J.A. McDonald rolled some heavy equipment with workers and their family members tossing candy to the crowd. The contractor is in the final year of the Main Street reconstruction project. ST Paving’s pavement machine on a trailer rumbled along as well, a reminder that there’s still some paving left to do.
Thanks to Madeline Sullivan Drake who recorded this clip as she watched the fireworks from her house on Randall Street.
Others took the opportunity to bring attention to timely issues like Eric Chittenden, the founder of the Cold Hollow Cider Mill, who had a booth at Rusty Parker Park with a display to bring attention to the damage invasive species and improperly discarded fishing lines have on the environment around the Waterbury Reservoir where he lives.
The park bustled after the parade as people converged for cold drinks, ice cream and food. Rotary Club members accepted donations to support the event. They also could be found selling food and drinks to attendees to the park.
“I love it, love it. Finally – especially after last year,” said vendor Maralee Smith about being able to attend this year's NQID celebration with her Rainbow Ice stand.
The finale of the night was a fireworks show that lit up the sky over Waterbury village, bringing a colorful end to Not Quite Independence Day 2021.
Community News Service is a collaboration with the University of Vermont’s Reporting & Documentary Storytelling program.