Parade and Festival Kick Off July 4th in Chestnut Hill

They began arriving early Monday morning from all over Northwest Philadelphia on bikes, trikes, big wheels, scooters, strollers, wagons, and anything else with wheels.  The Children's Parade kicked off the 95th Annual Chestnut Hill Bocce Club July 4th Celebration, drawing hundreds of children and their families for what many consider to be the highlight of summer in our neighborhood.

Some, like one-year-old Owen, were experiencing it all for the first time.  Owen's mother, Carmella Elmer, grew up in Chestnut Hill and remembers attending the event every year as a child.  "Today's bringing back a lot of great memories," said Elmer.  Her parents, Jude and Cindy Bruno, still live in Chestnut Hill, and she returned this year so Owen could experience this family tradition.

Like the Bruno and Elmer families, many other area families have also made the event a tradition, introducing each new generation of children to classic summer pastimes like foot races, hot dogs, pony rides, and, of course, the parade.  Tony De Paul, a Bocce Club member and Field Marshall of last year's event, has been attending for nearly sixty years.  "I was in this parade when I was 10 years old in 1954," said De Paul.

For the sixth year in a row, Xander Dhondt, 9, attended the festival.  It's an impressive record when one considers that his family was living in France last year and made a point of coinciding their summer visit to the States with this event.  Each year, Dhondt and his siblings look forward to decorating their bikes for the parade, as well as watching the magic show that follows the free hot dog and ice cream lunch.

Like every year, this year's event was the culmination of a lot of planning and hard work by the Chestnut Hill Bocce Club.  Field Marshall Tom Beatty credits the success of the event to a core planning team, particularly members Joe Baker and Tim Alexander.  Throughout the year, the club raises funds in the community through a number of ways, primarily the sale of space in the ad book that's distributed to festival attendees.  The club also receives generous donations from several area sponsors, particularly Wawa, Hatfield Quality Meats, and Bowman Properties.

On the day of the festival, nearly 100 club volunteers could be found directing parade traffic, overseeing games and rides, distributing free t-shirts, handing out lunch to hundreds of their neighbors, and in general, ensuring that everyone had a good time.

"There are so few communities that do anything like this any more," said Beatty.  "It's a great, wholesome event for families, and we're looking forward to making it past 100 [years]."