Starkey Acres 4th of July Parade going strong since the ‘80s

 

[July 11, 2023] 

The Starkey Acres subdivision in Lincoln held their annual 4th of July Neighborhood Parade last Tuesday and the event kicked off with a large crowd of festive folks meeting at 1271 Richland Avenue.

The Lincoln Fire Department led the 9 a.m. parade with engine 5104 driven by firefighter Savannah Conrady. With a crowd of kids, adults and dogs following steps behind, the firetruck traveled south on Richland Avenue before making a right turn on Rhoads Avenue. The crowd then took a right turn on Rutledge, waving to folks who had gathered in lawn chairs along the route. Eventually, the parade took another right turn back onto Richland Avenue and thus completed the circle around Starkey Acres. As the group came full circle, they congregated on the driveway of Craig and Denise Farnam and enjoyed coffee, water, juice, and donuts.

This is a tradition that was started at least 35 years ago by Ron and Marilyn Craig.

“It started when our son was very small,” said Marilyn Craig, who was contacted on the phone following the parade by Erin Smith. “The neighborhood was just so great, and we got to know a lot of the people and a lot of them were younger families with lots of children. The neighborhood was geographic for a good parade, you know, to go up and down the streets. Ron reached out to all the neighbors, and we decorated the streets, and everybody had to decorate their bicycles, tricycles, and wagons. Then we all got dressed up for the 4th of July and that’s how it started.”

Incidentally, the youngest participant in the parade this year was a seven-week-old baby.

Another longtime neighbor, Diane Hunsley, recalled that the parade used to start at the corner of Feldman Drive and Richland Avenue, where the Craig’s lived. “Ivan Ray lived across the street from the Craig’s, and he would dress up in a big 4th of July outfit and lead the parade, along with the firetrucks and police cars. Jean McKnight also organized the parade for a number of years.”

By that time, the start of the parade had moved to McKnight’s driveway at 1271 Richland Avenue, where the driveway was bigger.

“When the Farnam family moved into Jean’s house, part of the deal was that they had to continue it,” laughed Hunsley.

Denise Farnam was delighted to be home on this July 4th, as she noted the past couple of years her family had been away supporting daughter, Cara, on the softball field. This year, Farnam enjoyed the parade with her entire family. Although even during the years the Farnam’s were away at softball, the parade continued to start from their house and the tent was always set up with refreshments on their driveway.

“The parade has always been this little inner circle and we’ve always just went the same way,” added Hunsley.

“It’s truly amazing we have been able to keep it up. There’s not been too many years that we weren’t able to have it.”

Rain was the only thing that ever stopped the parade. Yes, not even Covid deterred this group from a parade.

It’s obvious this is a neighborhood tradition that everyone looks forward to on Independence Day. Just seeing the “old neighbors” chat with each other and the “new neighbors” introducing themselves and explaining which block they live on is something you just don’t see everywhere.

This is the kind of interaction you only get in a small town.

[Teena Lowery]