‘It’s a good small-town parade’

Porter’s holiday tradition continues

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Chesterton High School marching band members perform during Porter’s Independence Day parade on Friday. Kyle Telechan/photos for Post-Tribune

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Chesterton resident Jacob Hopkins, right, and his son Oliver, 5, wave from an antique car.

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Retiring Porter police Chief Todd Allen waves to onlookers as he serves as grand marshal.

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Porter resident Bradley Lynch, 11, stands with his mother, Erica, as they watch Porter’s Independence Day parade together.

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By Jim Woods Post-Tribune

It’s an ingrained tradition in the town of Porter that every July Fourth, at 9 a.m., people find their favorite place on the sidewalk along Wagner Road or Lincoln Street to watch the annual parade.

Steve Rohe, 74, wearing a ballcap signifying his U.S. Army service, believes he’s attended at least 40 of these parades.

Rohe lives in Porter and his extended family comes out, carrying their lawn chairs a short distance to park on the Wagner Road curbside for the annual event.

The July Fourth parade is a quintessential part of the rhythms of community life in Porter. Following the parade, there is the Turtle Derby that’s part of an all-day festival at Hawthorne Park capped with a fireworks display at dusk.

The parade always starts in the parking lot at Yost Elementary School. During the school year, Rohe is the crossing guard for the school as he replaced the local legend Babe Poparad, who died at 101 and served as crossing guard until she was 96.

On the last day of his 30-plus-year career with the Porter Police Department, retiring Chief Todd Allen wasn’t providing security like he usually does.

Allen instead was riding in the back of a Lexus convertible that was driven by Porter Town Council President Laura Madigan. Allen was chosen as this year’s parade grand marshal in honor of his long service to the community.

“It’s actually a happy ride,” Allen said as he waved to the people passing by.Ray and Donna Ward were decked out in Chicago Cubs gear, which shares a red, white and blue color scheme with the July Fourth holiday.

“It’s a good small-town parade,” Ray Ward said.

The Wards were spectators this year, but in the past, they have been participants when the Open Bible Church in Chesterton, where they are members, marched.

Their daughter and two grandchildren were out with them to watch.

“It’s the Fourth. You watch the parade, you watch the fireworks later and you eat all day,” Donna Ward said.

One of the main attractions of the parade is the Trojan Guard, the marching band for Chesterton High School.

Many attended the parade because of their connection with a member in the band.

Monica Clark was there to watch her daughter, Holly Decker, a Chesterton High senior, in what would be her last Fourth of July parade with the Trojan Guard. Decker leads the clarinet section of the band.

Monica’s husband, Troy Clark, and their 5-year-old son, Tripp, were on hand along with the grandparents, Doug and Donna Flanagin. They chose a spot on the west side of Wagner Road under a mulberry tree.

They were all thankful for the overcast skies because the band was wearing their full dress uniforms, which would have been uncomfortable on a sunny, hot day.

Karen Harper was there with her daughter, Crystal Koss, and granddaughter, Ruthie Ridley, in front of the house of Harper’s friend, Mel Bigger, on Wagner Road.

There was an American flag and a prominent sign, “God Bless America,” in Bigger’s front yard. Harper said that she has served alongside Bigger in the Lions Club and that he has been a patriotic stalwart in the community.

Harper had a tub of Tootsie Rolls and small candy that she was going to hand off to her grandson, Luke Ridley, 13, to replenish his supply that he was handing out with Boy Scout Troop 998.

Erica Lynch, decked out in a red, white and blue shirt, was there with her 11-year-old son, Bradley, who was enthusiastically scooping up a small bounty of candy thrown by the various parade participants.

Lynch figures this is about the 20th parade she has seen. They are “exactly the same” every year.

“But it’s perfect,” Lynch said.

Lynch grew up in Chicago, where parades were much larger affairs. With a parade in Porter, the difference is that it’s likely you will recognize a number of the participants.

Elly Lesnick, who had several small American flags, stood on Lincoln Street and watched the last part of the parade pass by.

The parade was something that she would usually attend with her mother, Faye Miller. She lost her a few months ago.

Lesnick said that July Fourth was her mother’s birthday. The family decided that today, they would scatter her ashes on what would have been her 88th birthday.

“Happy birthday, Mom,” Lesnick said through tears.

Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.