What does Independence Day mean to you? The first Independence Day took place on July 8, 1776
Talented Talia Toni Marcus brings her gifts to a July 4th parade
Josette Hendrix, leads with multicultural banners, representing the Northwest Language & Cultural Center
Island County Commissioner Helen Price Johnson's campaign assistant in a 2012 July 4th parade
Larry Dobbs, a stilt man, who has since moved to Mexico, towers above the crowds at 2015 Maxwelton Independence Day parade
These war veterans marched in the 2016 July 4th parade
Dan Anderson playing a nyckelharpa, a Swedish instrument, in July 4, 2016 parade
Basket of flowers and easy smile of this young woman at July 4, 2014 parade at Maxwelton
Betty and Jim Lightner, a flapper and a banjo player, at Maxwelton July 4, 2014 parade
Nancy Morsch, left, with Gus. Georgia Edwards, right, with Hawkeye, both dogs of the Bouvier des Flanders breed in 2010 July 4 parade
There's a lot to see in this photo from the July 4 2017 Maxwelton Independence Day parade
Reflections of past July 4 parades at Maxwelton Beach
Here is what freedom means to others who have gone before us:
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
“Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.” ~ John F. Kennedy
“My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” ~ John F. Kennedy
“Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
Taking a moment to look at our flag during the July 4, 2013 Maxwelton Beach parade
Dressed in style to remember the first Independence Day July 8, 1776
Following the July 4, 2015 parade, families gather for old fashioned games at Bob Mackie park
Hard-hat gent on vintage tractor in July 4, 2011 Maxwelton parade
A young girl with American flag at July 4, 2017 Maxwelton parade
“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal.” ~ Elizabeth Cady Stanton
“This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt
“The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” ~ Desmond Tutu
“Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
Wonder woman on Whidbey in a parade past
Creative side car with parade pet
Flat-topped, red-haired hoola hoopers in last year's Maxwelton parade
Riding a unicycle in 2015 Maxwelton parade.
Patricia Friedman serves ice cream and popsicles at July 4th celebration at Maxwelton Beach
Hahna Luna, represents Fairy Magic, a magical kind of entertainer
A silver hotrod straddles the middle of Maxwelton Road July 4, 2016
Tie dye and stars and stripes
Young musicians with Rubatano Center Marimba Studio play in 2014 July 4 parade
A not-so-scary clown at July 4, 2011 Maxwelton parade
Gorillas in Hawaiian shirts hand out bananas at July 4, 2013 Maxwelton Beach parade
After the parade, enjoying snacks in the bleachers at Bob Mackie park
A parade perk is collecting candies
Cooking dogs following July 4, 2016 Maxwelton Parade
With this year’s Maxwelton Parade cancelled, we can remember the hometown feeling from parades in the past. A luxury then. And we didn’t even know it. Please, let us get better and heal our wounds.
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