Merrillville Celebrates Independence Day with Bigger, Better, Longer Parade

Sirens blared and lights flashed, handfuls of candy bounced and skittered across the pavement, only to be scooped up by eager little hands, under the watchful eyes of parents as hundreds of people from around the region gathered along the broad street of Broadway in Merrillville, Indiana for this year’s annual Independence Day Parade.

Traditionally scheduled as a twilight parade held on the 3rd of July, this year’s parade was switched to the 4th, to avoid competing with other local parades and to increase entries, parade officials said. If today’s parade was any indication, it was a switch well-made, with nearly 80 parade entries – roughly twice the amount compared to last year - making the long, slow trek northbound on Broadway from 80th Ave to 68th Place.

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Leading off the parade were the parade marshals – the 2015 Championship Merrillville Mitey Mites Pop Warner football team.

Last December, the Mitey Mites traveled to Florida, where they played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., representing not just the state of Indiana, but the entire Midwest, and did an amazing job, finishing their season with an incredible season record of 10-0.

We took a moment to speak with Tony Crisp, head coach and vice president of the 2015 Mitey Mites Championship Pop Warner League football team.

“When we came back from Florida, we wanted to show our appreciation for everything that Merrillville has done for us here, so we went to the town council and presented them with an autographed team football. The town president then honored us by offering us the opportunity to be the grand marshals at this year’s Independence Day parade,” Coach Crisp told IIMM. “This has been an amazing year and the boys are very excited to be here today.”

Michelle Cataletto, program manager for West Town of Aurora, and alum of Merrillville HS, was enjoying the parade with her 5 year-old daughter.

“She was so excited to come today,” said Cataletto. “This is her first parade and even wanted to wear her special dress and even chose her favorite hat to wear today. She was really excited to come here and get some candy, but she’s really enjoying seeing all the big trucks go by.”

Hundreds of people lined the sides of the street to watch as those big trucks rolled by. Several dance teams competed, taking turns to strut their moves for the judges before moving on, only to be replaced by marching bands, bagpipes and classic cars, each taking their turn to thrill and delight the crowd, both young and old.

Kara Davis, a former Merrillville resident, who now lives in Lowell, watched as her 3 children cautiously darted out to grab a few bits of candy next to the judge’s stand.

“My uncle, John Petalas, is the Lake County Auditor. He is responsible for putting the parade together, so it’s kind of a family thing for us,” said Davis. “We’re really having a good time.

Looking down the length of the street, at the smiling faces of the hundreds of other parade-goers, they were obviously not the only ones having a wonderful time and making memories.

The Merrillville Independence Day Parade is just a part of the town’s holiday festivities, which also included a festival at Hidden Lake Park, and – of course – fireworks scheduled at dusk.