Half of the community wants to do something, and the other half is petrified. We think this will be a good, safe compromise.”

Fourth of July Committee Chairman Michele Martins

Sunny reports in statewide media this week suggested the Bristol Fourth of July Parade is “back on,” but according to General Chairman Michele Martins, the Fourth of July Committee remains steadfast in its commitment to following state regulations.

If Gov. Gina Raimondo allows the current executive order banning parades to expire as scheduled on June 29, the 2020 version of the Military, Civic, and Firemen’s parade will include all those elements — just less, earlier, and faster.

It will be the same, only different.

“There will be the police and fire departments, and local dignitaries,” said Ms. Martins. “The 88th Army Band will be there, too.”

They will be the only band, actually.

“There will be a presence from each division,” she said. “We will keep the tradition.”

The real tradition, on which Bristol stakes its “oldest continuous celebration” claim, is the Patriotic Exercises. Those have always been held, even in years when the parade was cancelled, or back before it was conceived. In a typical year, the Patriotic Exercises are held on the steps of Colt School, before the participants who will be marching in the parade are whisked up to Chestnut Street. This year, the Patriotic Exercises will be held on the Town Common (because of social distancing), and the key players will be whisked down the parade route to get there. They will be in cars — no marching — to maintain flow and minimize interaction with whatever hopefully local, small, masked, and distanced group might gather along the route to watch.

Since all have become so adept at looking for silver linings in 2020, here’s one: Chief Marshal Suzanne Magaziner is the 12th woman to be honored with the title, but likely the first who will not have to make the difficult choice of sacrificing comfort for style as she chooses the height of her heels for what is usually a two-and-a-half-mile march in the July heat.

The timing will be different too — the (car) parade will roll off at 8:30 a.m., a full two hours earlier than usual; a change that will certainly impact the sale of red Solo cups and please teetotalers.

Patriotic Exercises will follow the procession and be anticipated to start at 9:30 a.m.

The Committee devised this plan in an effort to reach a compromise between public health and honoring traditions. “Half of the community wants to do something, and the other half is petrified,” said Ms. Martins. “We think this will be a good, safe compromise.”

The governor’s executive order is set to expire five days before the Fourth. If it does not expire, or if a new one is issued, these plans might change.

“We will publicly finalize the plan (on June 29),” said Ms. Martins. “We will keep plugging forward and hope for the best.”