Westport's annual Fourth of July parade moved slowly Monday morning, even with Fast Eddie in the house.

Parade grand marshal Eddie Beaulieu, who got the nickname for his love of cars, surprised the crowds lining Main Street Monday morning when he appeared for the parade as scheduled, despite some uncertainty beforehand on whether he'd be able to make it. Hundreds cheered on the centenarian — he's 106 years old — as the car driving him brought him down the route.

The parade, in its final year hosted by the Westport Fourth of July Parade Committee, drew one of the larger crowds in recent memory. There was a large contingent of vintage cars, floats and tractors, and the annual candy tradition brought out the kids in droves, who picked up as much as they were tossed from passing floats and cars.

The organization of next year's parade will be left to a new cast of characters, as committee chairman David Palmer said this year's parade was his last, after 11 years organizing the event.