CUMBERLAND – Being grand marshal of any parade is special, says Mike Crawley, but having that honor for the 100th edition of the parade on the nation’s 250th birthday? That’s something special.
One of the town’s most popular employees, among children and seniors especially, Crawley works as both senior center director and parks and recreation director.
He enjoyed helping run the town’s recreational track and field events so much, he says, that years ago he started doing the winter one as well at the CHS Wellness Center.
From food truck nights to holiday events, when there’s an event happening in Cumberland, Crawley is likely there. No task is too small, say those who work with him.
“I’ve always done everything because I enjoy doing it,” he said. “I’m not looking to be on the front page of the paper, I just do stuff for the town.”
When there are fun things to do in a town, he adds, people love where they live and everyone wins.
“When you live in a community, you want to be able to have events so people have stuff to do,” he said, and that’s especially true during these times where it always seems that cities and towns are cutting events.
Asked if he’s underpaid for the work he does, Crawley acknowledged that he probably is, but that’s not the part that’s important to him. The same goes for the recognition, he said, though it is nice to be recognized in a parade that will be even more special this year.
On the July 3 fireworks event Crawley is helping to organize the night before the parade, he said the town will use some grant money from Soccer Rhode Island to spruce up the July 3 fireworks event at Tucker Field. He said they were going to something more with watch parties, but ultimately missed out on a larger portion of the available funds. One of the biggest problems they had with making it something bigger was not having enough grant money to pay the licensing fee to broadcast the games, he said.
The New England Revolution, Resends Soccer Academy, and the Boys & Girls Club will all be represented at the event. The soccer theme was planned to kick off at a food truck event Thursday, June 25, as well as on July 3.
Joyce Hindle Koutsogiane, parade chairperson, said Crawley is always working, often behind the scenes.
“He’s like the Energizer Bunny,” she said, and he’s part of the “triumvirate” that makes sure the road race that goes with the parade happens without a hitch.
The theme of this year’s parade, which kicks off at 11 a.m. on July 4 at the Massachusetts/Rhode Island border of Nate Whipple Highway, is “Our 100th Parade.” Hindle Koutsogiane said to expect more entrants and lots of fun, food, and music. There will also be awards for walking horribles.
The controversial ban on water spraying and water balloons from last year will be in effect again this year. While water won’t be there, said Hindle Koutsogiane, the horses will be.
Hindle Koutsogiane is noting that this year’s parade will be very long, with more about double the typical number of entrants. She said the floats are coming out great, including the parade committee’s float, which will feature flowers from The Flower Shack on Nate Whipple Highway. One float will be mounted by the North Cumberland Middle School Science Olympiad team that recently competed at nationals.
The Munroe Dairy Marching Milkman Band will be there, said Hindle Koutsogiane, which should be very cute, as will the Ms. Cumberland girls riding in a carriage, Big Nazo puppets, the stilt walkers, politicians, and many others.
It’s all just a great chance to see friends, neighbors, and the children and grandchildren of friends and neighbors.
The origin of the Arnold Mills Parade is the theme of “Ancients and Horribles.”
First seen prior to the United States Sesquicentennial Celebration of 1926, the Ancients and Horribles were a grassroots phenomena highlighting the love of the American people of all things “wild and wonderful.”
The July 4 parade route extends about 1 mile and ends at the intersection of Nate Whipple Highway and Abbott Run Valley Road.
