Ancient and Horribles Parade, founded in 1926, is a nationally known

Fourth of July Independence Day, known colloquially as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States which commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing th ...

parade on

U.S. Route 44 U.S. Route 44 (US 44) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that runs for through four states in the Northeastern United States. The western terminus is at US 209 and New York State Route 55 (NY 55) in Kerhonks ...

(Putnam Pike) in the village of Chepachet, Rhode Island, in the town of

Glocester Glocester, otherwise officially called the Town of Glocester, Rhode Island, is a New England town, town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 9,974 as of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. The villages o ...

. Parades of horribles were a New England tradition dating back prior to the 1870s or earlier in various small towns across New England.

History

The oldest known Ancient and Horribles Parade in New England occurred on July 4, 1851, in Lowell, Massachusetts and was named as a parody of the more somber

Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts The Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts is the oldest chartered military organization in North America and the third oldest chartered military organization in the world. A volunteer militia of the Commonwealth of Massachusett ...

, the oldest military organization in the United States. New Englanders in several cities started parading in concert with other New England towns in the middle of the 1800s in "Ancient and Horrible" or "Antique and Horribles" parades. The dress was meant to satirize politicians and other public figures. This had largely died out by 1900 in Vermont.

Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester ( ) is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of North Shore (Massachusetts), Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census. ...

, continues to have a "Horribles Parade" into the 21st century but without the satirical political dimension the costumes once held.Nandini Jayakrishna, "Ancient and Horribles parades independence," ''Providence Journal'' (July 5, 200

(accessed December 19, 2008). Glocester Rhode Island's "Ancient and Horribles Parade" was founded in 1926 when

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States, serving from 1923 to 1929. A Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer from Massachusetts, he previously ...

was U.S. President. Coolidge was a member of the original Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company in Boston. According to the 2008 chair of the parade, Connie Leathers, "...Rhode Islanders being Rhode Islanders made fun of them."Bryan Rourke, "Ancient and Horribles Parade has long tradition," ''Providence Journal'' (Lifebeat) (July 3, 200

(accessed December 19, 2008). The Parade features both traditional Fourth of July Float (parade), floats and marchers, such as

veterans A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces. A topic o ...

and

fire trucks A fire engine or fire truck (also spelled firetruck) is a vehicle, usually a specially designed or modified truck, that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to ...

, as well as often irreverent,

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...

displays commenting on political and cultural issues. There was no parade in 1942–1945 during World War II nor during the 2020-2021 pandemic.

References

External links

{{commons category, Ancient and Horribles Parade
Glocester Parade Registration information
Rhode Island culture Parades in the United States Glocester, Rhode Island Tourist attractions in Providence County, Rhode Island Festivals in Rhode Island 1927 establishments in Rhode Island Festivals established in 1927 Independence Day (United States) festivals

History

See also

References

External links