Do you know an American hero? That person might be your next door neighbor or a national icon. This is your chance to show the world what your version of an American hero is! You can do that by creating a float or donning a costume and marching in the parade on the Fourth of July.

If you could fly over Andover at 5,000 feet and hover there for the day on the Fourth, you would see a bustle of activity below. On the west end of town, you would see the parade forming at Proctor Field House and getting ready to spill out onto Main Street. To the east, you would see the Road Relics Car Club lined up at Pizza Chef and the Kids Parade forming at the Andover Fire Station. You would see to the south satisfied customers leaving the Andover Lions Club Pancake Breakfast, ready to enjoy the day.

At the center of it all you would see thousands of folks gathering on the Village Green (8 AM to 7 PM), many vendors, kids’ games (9 AM to 2 PM), music (10:30 AM to 7 PM), and parade viewing (at noon). You might also see a streak of activity along the Northern Rail Trail as runners compete in the Firecracker 5K, baseball games at Corson Field, and Closest to the Pin at Carr Field.

Here’s a run down of the day: the celebration begins with the pancake breakfast from 7 to 10 AM. At 10 AM, the ceremony begins on the Village Green with the raising of the flag by Andover’s American Legion Post #101 followed by the singing of the National Anthem. Then there will be many vendors, ranging from delicious foods to fine products, for you to check out and purchase at your leisure.

The parade will begin at noon as a Patriotic Medley is sung at the Reviewing Stand. After the parade, four bands will be playing on the Village Green, where you can browse some more into the evening. The day will be finished with the fireworks display from Proctor Ski Area, best viewed from Carr Field or the Village Green.

But hey! If you are still hovering over Andover, maybe you would want to watch from there!

In the case of rain, the Village Green activities will take place on Saturday, July 9, and there will be no parade. If this happens, the parade entrants are invited to line up on July 9 in the AE/MS parking lot (Note: this is a change from Lawrence Street!) for viewing and judging.

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