Stockholm celebrates Fourth, 135th anniversary
STOCKHOLM, Maine — Hundreds of onlookers gathered to watch the annual Independence Day parade in Stockholm. Spectators young and old lined up as fire trucks, community organizations, and candidates for office marched down Lake Street and across the one-lane bridge during the parade and 135-year anniversary of Stockholm.
The Stockholm Historical Society has been organizing parades in the town for the past 17 years in a row, with help from community volunteers.
Lori Costello, a member of the organizing group, said that roughly a dozen people were involved in planning and carrying out the festivities, and that they have been fine tuning the event since January of this year.
Lois Wardwell Knight, a Stockholm native, has been involved in the Historical Society for two years and is responsible for the museum’s archives.
“The town pitches in to help with the parade,” said Knight, “different groups such as the fire department will offer to drive their vehicles or floats. The veterans generally lead off the parade, and there is also a band. It’s really a big party.”
Knight adds that, since Stockholm is a tri-cultural community, the museum tends to get a good amount of traffic in the summer.
“The other day we had somebody come in that I grew up with and he met a cousin that he hadn’t seen since 1961,” said Knight.
The museum’s main room was recently renovated by volunteers to look similar to its appearance in the early 1900s. Outside the building, Historical Society members sold root beer floats to spectators during the parade while members of the Legion sold hot dogs and lobster rolls were offered at Eureka Hall.
