Local residents and paradegoers, many sporting patriotic attire, packed the shoulders of Warren Street in Roy as the Lacamas Community Center hosted the annual Fourth of July parade near the Roy Rodeo Grounds.
Holly Hague-Wood, with the Lacamas Community Center, said she got goosebumps seeing so many attendants displaying an abundance of small-town, American pride during the Fourth of July parade in Roy.
“It makes me so proud of our small town to see so many people come out. Whether they bring their tractor, their lawnmower and decorate it up, they take that time because they want to be in the parade,” Hague-Wood said. “I’m not joking, I get goosebumps. I’m a very patriotic person, and I love (the event). It’s always one of my highlights of the year.”
Hague-Wood did not know the total number of parade entries, but said she believed the participation to be similar to 2023’s parade. She said the number of attendants continues to climb each year, however.
She added that the Roy Rodeo Association is “extremely gracious” for allowing parade participants and organizers to use the rodeo grounds as a staging area for the annual event.
“Personally, I’m amazed every year by the amount of people that come out. I’m not saying anything against the parades before, but before social media, the parades used to be pretty small. It continuously grows, which is great for our little tiny town to show their pride for the Fourth of July and wanting to come out as a community,” Hague-Wood said. “From my perspective of how this Fourth of July went, it was amazing. It was probably the most spectators I’ve seen lining that street.”
She added that the parade typically features different groups, including the Tacoma Lariettes, who presented the color guard for the parade this year. She added that Wilcox Family Farms, who brought “five or so” vehicles to the parade, Pierce County Plumbing, who drove four trucks during the parade, and other local groups had a strong presence in the event.
“I make sure everyone gets a participation ribbon, and I go down all the rows and thank the participants for coming,” Hague-Wood said. “They’re giving up their time and standing out there in that hot sun. I think it’s amazing how many people show up out there in that little town of Roy to do that.”
Next year, with the Fourth of July falling on a Friday, Hague-Wood hopes the annual event will surpass even this year.
“I’m hoping, since the Fourth will be on a Friday next year, that the event will be a little bit bigger. I’ve already looked at all the dates and made sure my volunteers have marked their calendars. We might add a couple more categories and give out a few more ribbons,” she said. “I’d love it if I could get a band, not a marching band, but someone who could be pulled in a float. Another thing I’d really like, if I could get word out, is to get some retired military personnel who live in Roy and maybe ride on a float. That way people could see all of the retired veterans that live in our small town.”
