Old Orchard Beach’s annual Ocean Park Independence Day parade will be held on the Fourth of July after all, following pushback from residents.

The parade, which has been an Ocean Park tradition for 75 years, was initially scheduled for July 6 this year. That was because town officials said there weren’t enough police available to run security for the parade.

But Ocean Park residents fought against the later date, citing decades of tradition. After the outcry, Town Manager Diana Asanza said at a council meeting Tuesday that the town had been speaking with the Ocean Park Association to make sure the parade could take place on July 4.

Fran Day, executive director of the Ocean Park Association, said finding enough security personnel for the parade has been an issue for several years. But after conversations with Old Orchard Beach officials, Day said Thursday that the town had agreed to move the parade back to its usual date.

Instead of uniformed Old Orchard Beach police, volunteers will act as parade security this year. Those volunteers, who will include residents, town staff and public works crews, will receive training from town police ahead of the parade.

Before the reversal, the date change had caused a “lot of emotions,” Old Orchard Beach resident and yearly parade-goer Tom Morgan said. 

“It’s a big tradition in town,” he said.

‘A REALLY HOKEY NEIGHBORHOOD EVENT’

Morgan began attending the parade in 1981, when he started dating his wife. Since then, like many local families, generations of Morgans have continued to hold the tradition close to their hearts. 

“It’s just a really hokey neighborhood event,” Morgan said. “It’s one of those things I never want to miss.” 

Many of the other 2,500-plus people who attend each year feel the same way, Day said.

Each summer, families — some of whom have been attending for generations — create homemade floats, join in on the kazoo band and dress up in costumes, almost like it’s Halloween. 

Kids practice dance routines and ride in a brigade of decorated bicycles. Many are local or have family homes in Ocean Park; some are from away.

“People have started planning their holidays around it,” Morgan said. 

This year’s parade will not only include the traditional events and spectacles, but a host of special activities centered around the 250th anniversary of the United States, including a patriotic scavenger hunt, a children’s story hour, a live concert, line dancing and a “Happy Birthday America” cake.

“We are augmenting our traditional activities to make it a true birthday celebration for our country,” Day said. “We want to celebrate it.” 

Being able to hold the parade on Independence Day is “gratifying,” Day said. 

“We were still going to make the best of it” on July 6, she said. “But we are very grateful to everybody who worked to allow us to have this parade on the Fourth of July.”

The parade is scheduled to kick off at 10 a.m. on July 4.