It is kind of hard to believe that we are less than a month away from Independence Day 2022.  This year seems to be flying by.  I keep chalking that feeling up to the fact that 2020 and 2021 seemed to draggggggg on!  Whatever the reason, the year is flying by.

As has been the case for decades, with the exception of 2020 (of course), the City of Augusta Parks & Rec Department has an entire day of family fun planned.  A parade, the reading of the Declaration of Independence at Old Fort Western, games and other fun events at Mill Park, and FIREWORKS!

There'll be a couple of bands at Mill Park, including Martin & Kelly and headliners Zac Tyler Band.  They'll be rockin' right up until the start of the fireworks!

So, what's the big change?  In recent years, the parade has had a 4 PM start.  So, people would watch the parade and then rush over to Mill Park for events, music, and fireworks.

This year, the parade will be at 10 AM.  There are a few benefits to doing it this way.  First, it will be a lot cooler.  For several years in the late two-thousand-teens, the temperatures on the 4th of July were STEAMY!  So, even if we have a really hot Independence Day, it will still be cool for the parade.  On top of that, this will give people plenty of time to go home, BBQ, hop in the pool (or go to the lake), put the kids down for a nap, etc.

Despite the time change, the parade route will remain the same.  It will leave from the Statehouse parking lot, travel down State Street, onto Water Street, roll through downtown, cross the bridge, ending at Old Fort Western.

Speaking of Old Fort Western...  Since 2022 marks the 100th anniversary of Old Fort Western operating as a museum, the hope is that 100 units will sign up to be a part of the 4th of July parade.  So, if you have a business, non-profit, church group, classic car, tuner car, farm, neighborhood group, band, etc, the City of Augusta would love to have you in the parade.

For more information about signing up, call Wendy at 207.626.2350

9 Closed Maine Amusement & Water Parks

We have put together a list of now closed amusement parks and water parks. Some of these were in operation in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s... Some haven't been around for over a century. ***Keep in mind that some of the information regarding when these places were open and what they offered comes from listener comments and stories passed down by people who visited (or worked at) these parks.

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