Bands given out at parade

Crowds lined Bridge Street on both sides of the Oswego River Sunday for Oswego’s 43rd annual Independence parade, sponsored by the Greater Oswego Chamber of Commerce.

People of all ages sat on chairs, blankets, the curb or the grass. They sat in the backs of trucks or vans on side streets and in parking lots.

A few well-behaved dogs sat with their owners. Babies rested in strollers or in parents’ arms.

Vendors walked along the street selling snow cones, balloons, inflatable toys and stuffed animals, and teenagers strolled around looking for their friends via cell phone.

By far, the greatest concentration of people was on the east side, where the parade began. Parts of the sidewalks were blocked with people and the crowd on the edge of Washington Square Park reached 20 people deep.

Local law enforcement vehicles headed the parade with their lights and sirens on while officers waved from their windows to the crowd. Fulton, Oswego and Pulaski city police, the U.S. Border Patrol, and N.Y. State Park and DEC police were represented.

There were gifts for the crowd. The Veterans of Foreign Wars handed out small flags; Oswego Hospital gave away sunscreen; the United Way gave out rubber “Success By Six” bracelets, and many organizations threw candy from their floats.

To view the rest of the article, click here