OB Parade: Oh Baby!

Whoever doesn’t love a parade steered clear of Ocean Beach on July 4 this week, when swarms of costumed kiddies carted through town for the Independence Day parade.

As always, villagers added a touch of Halloween to the proceedings. Each float was a creative paen to folks’ favorite aspects of Fire Island life. There was the adorable (“Teddy Bears of Ocean Beach”), the peculiar (“The Mystery Machine”), the (sort of) historical (“Washington Crosses the Bay”). And of course, the patriotic (“Stars and Stripes”).

One float, named “Happy 4th of July,” celebrated the First Amendment. It was adorned with the words “Free to Think” and “Free to Listen.”

The parade grew larger from last summer, when a measly 94 floats made an appearance. This year, there were 122.

“And all 122 were winners!” said Mayor Joe Loeffler.

—Story by David Crohn

Photos by Link Roberts