ANDERSON — Johnnie Hammock is a man who learns from his mistakes.
After Hammock went to his first Anderson Fourth of July Midnight Parade last year without a chair, he was determined never to stand on his feet for the event again.
Hammock, 37, and his niece, 3-year-old Shemiah, were comfortably sitting on lawn chairs along Main Street late Friday as they awaited the beginning of the Midnight Parade. However, Hammock’s cousin, Tammy Davenport, 38, Hampton, Va., stood sans chair, shifting back and forth on her feet.
“I told her to bring a chair,” Johnnie said, laughing. “I learned last year to bring a chair. I told her twice.”
Hammock and his relatives were among the throngs of people who descended on downtown Anderson for what many believe is the earliest Fourth of July parade in America. Hammock was seated along Main Street to see his children, Miles, 11, and Macie, 8, walk in the parade with Anderson Zion Baptist Church. It’s the same reason he first came to the parade.
“They enjoyed it last year, and there was no doubt about it, they weren’t going to miss it this year,” Hammock said of his children. “I didn’t know so many people come out. You see a lot of people you haven’t seen.”
While Hammock may be something of a newcomer to the annual parade, 15-year-old Thomas Faucett of Anderson has been coming since he was a baby. Friday night, Thomas, his 8-year-old sister, Krista, and mother, Melinda Faucett, had parked their Ford Ranger pickup in a parking lot near the intersection of 12th and Main streets, waiting for the parade to begin. The parking spot, Melinda said, has been an annual staple location for the family.
“We’ve parked here for the last 15 years,” Melinda said. “We do it every year.”
“I just like all the displays and people watch,” she continued. “It kicks off our Fourth weekend.”
The Midnight Parade included walking and dancing groups, monster trucks, customized cars, politicians, fire trucks and a parade staple: the Madison County Sheriff’s Department’s vintage 1950 Ford sedan. Deputy Mark Fitzsimmons had the responsibility to man the car for the event.
“I’m one of the few people who knows how to drive it,” Fitzsimmons said shortly before the parade began. “They needed somebody, and I said I’d do it.”
Fitzsimmons, 48, didn’t travel alone. His wife, Vickie; daughter, Stephanie; son-in-law, Tanner; and 3-year-old grandson, Strider — complete with a child-safety seat — rode in the patrol car with him.
Fitzsimmons said the classic car was complicated to drive because the three-speed transmission shifter is mounted on the steering column, making the car a little quirky.
“Well, it is in an old car,” he said. “I just like old cars. It is fun to drive. It’s fun to me because you’re using both legs and both arms to drive it.”
The parade was nearly delayed, however, after a fire damaged a parade entry minutes before midnight.
A lighted, portable sign towed behind a van for the Madison County 4H Fair entry erupted in flames while parked in a lot at the northwest corner of Sixth and Main streets. Luckily, however, Richland Township volunteers firefighters, who were taking part in the parade, were only a block behind the blaze and were able to extinguish it within a few minutes. The sign was heavily damaged, however.
Richland Firefighter Nate Ginley said a gasoline generator used to power the sign began leaking fuel and likely sparked the fire.
“The fuel got hot while leaking, and we think it started that way,” Ginley said. “We got it out, and the parade will go on.”
And indeed it did. The 4H van was able to continue in the parade, but without its sign.
Anderson attorney Paul Baylor took a brief break from what’s been a four-year tradition — hosting an annual party at his law office at 1000 Main St. — to take part in the parade. Baylor and four other fellow masons with Fellowship Lodge 681 F&AM; marched the route.
“This is a parade that’s not just for the elite,” Baylor said. “It’s for everyone. And I think it reflects America and that’s what makes it great.”
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July 4, 2009
Midnight Parade: Tradition in its 35th year
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