America's oldest Independence Day parade marks 240 years of patriotic tradition
The town of Bristol, Rhode Island, began hosting celebrations in 1785.
Reverend Henry Wight of the First Congregational Church, a Revolutionary veteran, conducted the first known Patriotic Exercises, according to the parade's website.
It is believed the festivities evolved from a procession of community members walking to Patriotic Exercises.
Sometime in the early 1800s, a more formal parade formed, including the Military, Civic and Firemen's Parade, says the same website.
The parade has its own "town crier" who announces, "Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye."
"Michael Rielly, who took over as Town Crier on June 14, 2015, during our Flag Day ceremony on the Town Common," says the website.
"Michael's grandfather, James D. Rielly, rang the bell for 15 years, retiring in 1989. You will see Michael during Fourth of July events and out front of the Military, Civic and Firemen's Parade ringing his bell."
The beach town goes all out beginning celebrations on Flag Day, June 14th.
Weeks leading up to Independence Day are jam-packed with various events such as a pageant contest, field day, carnival, concerts, and more.
Each year there is a parade float contest with awards for the most patriotic, most beautiful, and most original.
Beginning in the early 1900s, the U.S. Navy sends a ship to Bristol for a week during the Fourth.
This year's visiting ship is the USS Billings (LCS-15), which is a littoral combat ship operating under the U.S. 4th Fleet.
Festivities conclude on July 4th with a 2.5-mile Military, Civic and Firemen's Parade.
Fox News Digital reached out to parade organizers for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
A Psychologist Reveals 2 Extremes In Love And What They Mean
Some of us are driven by desperation in love. For others, the fear of love is so great, they refuse ... More to act upon it at all. Love comes in many shapes, sizes and spectrums. There are some who are driven to madness by love and there are others who feel scared to love at all. While the former, a type of love style called love mania, is marked by intense passion and fear of loss, the other is philophobia. It is a deep, often debilitating fear of love, which can prevent people from seeking and building true connections. Both represent extreme ends of the emotional spectrum. Here's what these intense forms of love reveal about us. 1. Love Mania Imagine being a young adult in love. For some, they may love their partner's company to the extent that not being with them makes them feel lost. In a classic study published in the Journal of Personality Assessment, a 19-year-old male undergraduate spoke of the time spent with his girlfriend as being in 'paradise.' But he also acknowledged that 'There has to be some sort of middle ground between being in paradise and being very anxious about things, feeling as if I have no home. With me a lot of relationships tend to feel as if they are very strong, or else they don't really exist too much.' This is an example of desperate love, also called mania or obsessive love, where one gets extremely possessive, goes through emotional highs and lows and constantly fears abandonment. Psychologists identify it as one of the six classic love styles in John Lee's Colors of Love theory. The six love styles are Eros, Ludus, Storge, Mania, Agape and Pragma. Eros is marked by passionate, romantic love focused on physical attraction and intense emotion. Ludus refers to playful, game-like love that values fun and avoids deep commitment. Storge is a slow-growing, friendship-based love rooted in trust and shared values. Mania is rooted in obsession; intense love marked by jealousy, dependency and emotional highs and lows. Agape is a form of selfless, altruistic love that puts one's partner's needs above one's own. Pragma refers to practical, logical love that looks for compatibility and long-term suitability. In his classic study published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, John Lee says, 'The typical manic lover shows the same intensity and preoccupation as the erotic lover, yet the same desire to hold back feelings and manipulate the relationship, as the ludic lover.' He suggests that though the mania lover may not have a specific type of partner they are attracted to, their very first feeling towards a mate may be one of dislike. 'The manic lover is obsessively preoccupied with the beloved, imagines all manner of rivals and disasters, and ignores any warning signs of difficulty in the relationship until too late. Yet he knows all along,' the author notes. They crave validation, often feel insecure and may oscillate between extreme euphoria and devastating jealousy. Such love is rarely sustainable; there may be clear red flags and instability in the relationship. Interestingly, a person exhibiting this type of love is likely aware of that. Yet, they willfully submit to their senses and feelings. 2. Philophobia For many, the idea of an intimate relationship gets them spiraling. This is exactly the opposite of mania love, where you urgently want to escape from being too close to someone. It could potentially stem from a fear of love. This is known as philophobia, the persistent, irrational fear of falling in love or forming emotional attachments. Unlike typical hesitations in relationships, philophobia is marked by intense anxiety at the prospect of emotional vulnerability, often rooted in past trauma, rejection or abandonment. Individuals with philophobia may sabotage potential relationships, avoid intimacy or experience physical symptoms like rapid heartbeat or panic when confronted with romantic possibilities. In her 2014 study on why we are scared to love, Romina Tavormina suggests that romantic love has become 'liquid love' due to the idea of disposability in a consumerist culture. People are driven by the idea that they have choices outside of the person they're with, and they're willing to walk away when circumstances are unfavorable. She also suggests that many people struggle to maintain long-lasting relationships as a result of philophobia. The origins of this fear appear to lie in early childhood relationships with their parents, where they may have experienced a lack of love. They find themselves reproducing the same dynamic in their adult relationships. So, Philophobia can act as a defense mechanism to protect the individual from perceived emotional harm and prevent them from forming healthy emotional connections. Both these extremes tell us more about ourselves than the other person. While manic love exposes our fears of abandonment and hunger for security, philophobia reveals a different kind of vulnerability. It reflects our fear of losing control or finally experiencing feelings of safety in love. We fight against intimacy and try to stay as far away from opening up to others as possible, even when we crave connection. However, anytime we get vulnerable, we come close to experiencing true joy. But that comes with the risk of potential pain. So high is the fear of losing one's partner, that many either rush in right away, or refuse to let them in at all. It might be true that the more we have, the more we have to lose. But this shouldn't stop us from finding love and intimacy that can last. Because what can break us, can also make us. Do you keep pushing emotional intimacy away? Take this science-backed test to find out: Fear Of Intimacy Scale
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Las Vegas senior living complex residents say they've had to choose between financial and physical security
Residents of a Las Vegas senior living complex are urging management to take action on what they're calling unsafe living conditions. 'We feel overlooked and abandoned,' residents of Acapella Senior Apartments wrote in a letter to corporate property management firm Ovation. In the letter, they complain of lack of security and unsafe living conditions. Retirement communities typically offer senior-focused amenities and security features, from emergency alarms to gated facilities. But facilities with the highest levels of security are typically more expensive. With many seniors living on a fixed income — and about six to eight million Americans aged 65+ living in poverty — they may be forced to decide between affordability and security. I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 6 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan 'works every single time' to kill debt, get rich in America — and that 'anyone' can do it At Acapella Senior Apartments, residents complained that the handicap button for the front door didn't work, creating a safety hazard for seniors in walkers, scooters and wheelchairs. They also complained about homeless people coming into the building to use the amenities. 'We've got issues with security. We've got problems in the parking lot. Cars being broken into or stolen. We've got homeless people who try to get in the cars and when they do, they sleep in them,' a female resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, told KLAS 8 News Now. 'In fact, I had someone who tried to get in my apartment.' According to one Ovation employee who wished to remain anonymous, 'there's an extreme amount of neglect when it comes to the elders here,' and addressing complaints was like a 'revolving door.' Following 8 News Now's report, however, Ovation's director of LIHTC and compliance, Phyllis Garcia, said in a statement that they're committed to increasing their on-site staffing. 'While our building has controlled entry and is monitored by security cameras, as well as roaming security guards, we understand that procedures and systems alone are not always enough. Our residents must feel genuinely protected and cared for, and we are actively developing plans to strengthen those protections,' she said. While retirement communities are generally less expensive than assisted living or memory care facilities, they average about $3,100 a month, according to a 2024 report by A Place for Mom, a senior living advisory service. The costs of security measures in senior living facilities are typically incorporated into monthly fees. 'Retirement communities often include security services such as on-site security personnel, surveillance cameras and/or gated entrances as part of the monthly fee,' according to myLifeSite, an educational resource for senior living options. Some may also offer in-residence or wearable emergency alert systems. But these types of security measures come at a cost (such as higher monthly fees), which can be challenging for seniors living on a fixed income. On the other hand, lack of security could impact their sense of safety and peace of mind. **Read more: No millions? No problem. With as little as $10, here's how you can access this $1B private real estate fund of diversified assets usually only available to major players Many seniors live on a fixed income that comes from Social Security, retirement savings and, in some cases, a pension. While Social Security retirement benefits do get a boost from the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), which provides an automatic increase in monthly benefits to keep up with inflation, it may still fall short. The COLA for 2025 is 2.5%, so that means a monthly check of $2,000 would increase by $50. But food, utilities, rent and prescriptions are already consuming a large portion of retirees' income. With rising costs, many are feeling the squeeze. The cost of food is continuing to rise — food prices in May 2025 were 2.9% higher than in May 2024, according to the Consumer Price Index). And Medicare is getting more expensive. The standard Medicare Part B premium increased to $185 per month in 2025, from $174.70 in 2024, while the annual deductible rose to $257 from $240). So even a $25 to $50 increase in monthly housing costs to fund security upgrades (or other unexpected costs) could mean residents have to cut back on essentials like groceries or skip medications just to scrape by. However, without security upgrades, they could be at physical and financial risk from vandalism, break-ins, theft and violence. For those looking to move into a retirement community, look for facilities that abide by various safety codes and standards, including those from the International Building Code, the Facility Guidelines Institute, the National Fire Protection Association's Life Safety Code and the Americans with Disability Act. Ask current residents about their experiences. For those already in a retirement community and facing the prospect of rising costs, there may be ways to save money. For example, you may qualify for food assistance, as well as help with covering the costs of prescriptions, healthcare and even housing. The National Council on Aging (NCOA) offers online tools such as Benefits CheckUp (to see if you're eligible for benefits programs) and Job Skills CheckUp (to help older adults find jobs as a mature worker). An analysis by the NCOA and LeadingAge LTSS Center @ UMass Boston found that 80% of older adults face financial insecurity. While seniors shouldn't have to choose between safety and affordability, increasingly that may be the case. This tiny hot Costco item has skyrocketed 74% in price in under 2 years — but now the retail giant is restricting purchases. Here's how to buy the coveted asset in bulk Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Money doesn't have to be complicated — sign up for the free Moneywise newsletter for actionable finance tips and news you can use. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
News24
an hour ago
- News24
Kriel finally gets official Bok king status but chooses game face for Azzuri clash
Be among those who shape the future with knowledge. Uncover exclusive stories that captivate your mind and heart with our FREE 14-day subscription trial. Dive into a world of inspiration, learning, and empowerment. You can only trial once. Start your FREE trial now Show Comments ()
