Providence Journal photo / Glenn Osmundson
The Mount Hope High School marching band serenades parade-watchers in Bristol
BRISTOL, RI -- The 228th Bristol Fourth of July wrapped up around 2 p.m. as the final marchers made their way past the viewing stand on High Street.After making their way down the 2.6-mile route that started at the corner or Hope and Chestnut streets, parade participants looked hot and tired as they neared the end. Temperatures were in the mid-80s and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
As one marching band came past on High Street, Hunter Clarke, who was with a contingent of friends and family yelled encouragement.
"You're almost there," shouted Clarke, who grew up in Bristol but now lives near Philadelphia. "You're almost at the end."
Parade watchers cheered for the chief marshal, Louis P. Cirillo, a sixth-generation Bristolian and the town clerk. "This is the icing on the cake," said Cirillo.
Spectators, ignoring the heat, are packed seven or eight deep, cheering on the floats and the marching bands.