The theme for this year’s parade was ‘Together, We Thrive’.
This year’s parade featured floats, marching bands, mascots, sword fighting and much more.
Many Ashland residents were encouraged by how many people showed up for the parade, some estimating the turnout was larger than Ashland’s entire population.
Long time resident John Barton said, “the city is coming back, we’ve been through a very difficult time with covid, with the smoke with the heat, we’ve had many many people not coming here that used to come.”
For some, it was their first Fourth of July parade, but for some long time Ashland residents, it was a return to normalcy.
After the parade, spectators made their way down to Lithia Park, where dozens of booths were selling everything from ice cream to jewelry.
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