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Congratulations to the Winners of the 2024 Chatham Independence Day Parade!

The 2024 Chatham Independence Day Parade winners, as selected by parade judges Chuck Borkoski, Stuart Smith, and Yu Ying Zou, are:

Overall 1st Place   Phillips Farm Family

Overall Second Place  The Magner Family

Overall Third Place   Witches on the Water

Best Family Entry   The FitzGerald Family

Best Youth Entry   Ken Owens Memorial Soccer Jamboree

Most Patriotic Entry   Chatham Bars Inn

Funniest Entry   Chatham Municipal Airport

Best Civic Entry   Chatham Elementary School

Best Business Entry   Exit Merchandise

The Phillips Farm Family name will once again be added to the Independence Day Parade trophy, and the other winners will each receive a plaque at the July 23rd Select Board meeting.

The 2024 Parade Order Has Been Set!

Use Ctrl+F to search for your name or organization

Place OrderName of Organization or Individual
Chatham Police Department
Chatham Veterans
Chatham Veterans’ Auxiliary
USCG STATION CHATHAM
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 013-11-01
Chatham Fire Department (w/ others)
Chatham Town Flag
Chatham Select Board
The Chatham Band
Grand Marshal
1Phillips Farm Family
2Cliff Stalker
3Friends of Chatham Waterways
4Chatham Elementary School
5South Chatham Public Library
6Bobbie Jo Pippin-Arndt
7DY Band
8Milley Trucking
9America’s Boating Club Cape Cod
10John C Domos Carpentry
11Robert Calreton
12Boot Camp Chatham
137 sisters florals
14Chandler Travis Philharmonic
15Chatham Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts
16Axford family
17Chatham Yacht Club
18Cape Shark
19Chatham Harbor Tours
20The Chatham Squire #1 (J Meager)
21Chatham Athletic Ass. – Chatham Anglers Baseball
22Chatham Bars Inn
23Enrico Salvi
24Body by Sabrina Fitness
25Andrew Pendrill
26Digney Fignus
27Squire Mobile
28Cape Destinations
29Stage Harbor Sailing School
30Chatham Fiddle Company
31Summer Sitters
32Cape Tiki Cruises
33Ken Owens Memorial Soccer Jamboree
34Barrows Waste Systems, LLC
35Chatham Hood Bikes
36Dave’s Mobile Marine Service
37The Fisher Family
38LOWER CAPE BLUEFINS YOUTH FOOTBALL
39Monomoy Yacht Club
40Oyster River Boatyard
41John Avery
42Jukin J and the Rockers
43Shore Thing Cape Cod
44Fisherman’s Daughter Eco Boutique
45The Magner Family
46Wicked Wavy Swim School
47Lilly Pulitzer
48First Night Chatham
49Chatham Democratic Town Committee
50Chatham Cheese Company
51Highland Light Scottish Pipe Band
52The Moeder Family
53Chatham Clothing Bar & Chatham Kids
54Dave Nixon
55Moments Events Decor
56Bongiovanni and Patterson Families
57Cape Cod for Kennedy
58Cape Cod’r
59Pogodave. Dave clayman
60Slightly Tuned
61Christopher Lauzon for Cape & Islands Senate
62Chatham Municipal Airport
63Myoli
64La Bella Skin Bar & IV Lounge
65Shore Things Environmental
66The FitzGerald Family
67Chatham Council on Aging
68Chatham Orpheum Theater
69Emma Pendrill
70Sandy Leith Family
71Witches On the Water
72Chatham Community Players
73Sea Her Shine.
74The Hurley Family
75Exit Merchandise
76George Farah
77Sudbury Bees
78Shining Sea Cleaning
79MAHI GOLD
80Mark Robinson for Governor
81Wrackline Band

Announcing the 2024 Judges and Anthem Singer

The Chatham Independence Day Parade Committee is excited to announce that the singer of the National Anthem for the 2024 parade will be Leyla Holmes, who is a Monomoy High School student.

Our honored judges will be:

Chuck Borkoski, who suggested the theme for this year’s parade

Stuart Smith, the recently retired Chatham Harbormaster

and, following a long-standing tradition of inviting the Monomoy High School Valedictorian, we are pleased to have Yu Ying Zou as the final judge.

Essential entrant information for the 2024 parade

2024 Theme –
“Chatham: It’s a Shore Thing!”

ESSENTIAL INFORMATION FOR ENTRANTS – PLEASE READ THOROUGHLY

Requirements for Entry:  
Submit your registration no later than June 15, 2024 by completing the online application form. The link to the form is at the bottom of this page- please read all of the important entrant information!

All Entries will be reviewed by the Independence Day Parade Committee; if an entry does not meet all requirements, participation will be denied.  Everything must be filled out completely for the application to be accepted. Please email any questions to [email protected].

Applications received after the June 15, 2024 deadline may NOT BE ACCEPTED.


Rules for Participation (developed in conjunction with the Chatham Police Department): 

  • Throwing anything to the crowd, including candy and flyers, is strictly prohibited. This creates a potentially dangerous situation with implications for health, safety and injury.
  • No float apparatus or act can exceed 14 feet in height from street level and width must not exceed 8 feet.
  • All Entries and displays must be free from images reflecting cruelty, denigration or abuse to persons or groups, because of race, creed, gender or economic status.
  • Emergency vehicles must be given the right of way at all times.
  • Participants must remain grouped within parade boundaries or as directed by the Police or Parade Monitors. If the parade stops, participant groups must remain together. Unauthorized stops along the parade route are not permitted. 
  • It is essential to keep pace throughout the parade for the best experience for spectators and other entrants. Please Do Not Stop At The Finish Line. Even a brief stop holds up the entire parade!
  • Drinking alcoholic beverages is prohibited while in line before the start of and during the parade. 
  • The Parade Committee would like to recommend that entries not use helium balloons. Balloons pose a serious threat to wildlife if they are released. Whales, turtles, seabirds and other animals have all been killed by mistaking balloons for food and swallowing them. Let’s keep Chatham healthy!

These rules are for the safety of everyone. Not following them will jeopardize your participation in future parades.

Logistics of Parade:

  • Entrants’ position number in the parade will be assigned and listed on the Independence Day Parade Committee website in June and in a June issue of the Cape Cod Chronicle. (Entry registration dates do not factor into planning the parade order.) 
  • Prior to parade day, entrants are strongly encouraged to check in and pick up their position number flags at the Chatham Police Department at 249 George Ryder Road on the following days/times:
  • Saturday, June 29th 10am-2pm
  • Monday, July 1 3pm -7pm
  • Entrants who are not able to check in during the above times must check in prior to positioning on Shore Road with a Parade Monitor stationed at the Chatham Town Fish Pier by 8:30am on the morning of July 4th. 
  • All entrants must be checked in and in parade position at your numbered staging area on Shore Road no later than the times designated below:
  • Entry #1 through #30 check in between 7:00am – 7:30am
  • Entry #31 through #60 check in between 7:30am – 8:00am
  • Entries #61 and up check in between 8:00am – 8:30am
  • All entrants must be in parade position by 8:30am
  • Position number must be displayed on the LEFT side of the Entry.
  • The parade begins at 9:30am at the intersection of Shore Road and Main Street, and finishes at the intersection of Crowell Road and Tip Cart Road. Please adhere to police instructions for exiting the parade area.
  • For entrants wishing to park at the Monomoy Regional Middle School, a shuttle bus will take you to Shore Road. This shuttle will run starting at 6:30am. The shuttle will run from the end of the parade back to the Monomoy Regional Middle School.

Parade Judging:

  • To qualify for an award, the Entry must be consistent with the parade theme.
  • All awards are determined solely at the discretion of the Judges.
  • Entries are viewed by Judges along the parade route. The Judges’ reviewing stand is located on the lawn of the First United Methodist Church at the intersection of Main Street and Cross Street. Please do not stop here and delay the parade.
  • Your Entry may win more than one award.

Parade Award Categories:

  • 1st Place – Overall Best Entry will be recognized by an engraved brass plaque on the Chatham Parade Trophy displayed at Town Hall.
  •  2nd Place Entry
  •  3rd Place Entry
  • Best Youth Entry (participants under
    18 years old)
  • Most Patriotic Entry
  • Funniest Entry
  • Best Family Entry
  • Best Civic Entry
  • Best Business Entry

When planning your entry, please keep in mind that the theme must be incorporated in a way the judges can see and understand in order to be eligible for prizes!

All of the category award winners will receive a custom-designed engraved plaque which will be presented at an
awards ceremony during a Select Board meeting later in July.

Registration is now closed.

https://chathamparade.com/chatham-july-4th-parade-entry-submission

Announcing the 2024 Grand Marshal

We are proud to announce some of the esteemed participants in the 2024 Chatham July 4th Parade: 

GRAND MARSHAL

The Grand Marshal for the 2024 parade will be Karl Fehrle. 

Karl Fehrle, a long-time Chatham resident, will be the Grand Marshal for this year’s Independence Day Parade.  Mr. Fehrle is a US military veteran of WWII and a member of the Chatham Band, where he plays saxophone and is well know for his solos on “Somewhere Over the  Rainbow” and “What a Wonderful World”.  Mr. Fehrle will soon celebrate his 103rd birthday!

Now accepting nominations For the Grand Marshal of the 2024 Chatham Independence Day Parade

Grand MarshalThe July 4th Parade Committee welcomes nominations for Grand Marshal of the 2024 Chatham Independence Day Parade.  The Grand Marshal is designated to take the lead in the processional and in the hosting of festivities. As the Grand Marshal is a position of special honor, the nominee must be a year round or summer resident of Chatham and one who has made significant contributions to our community.

Submit your Grand Marshal nomination today by sending an email to [email protected] or completing the nomination form:
Don’t forget to tell us why you feel this person deserves to be chosen!
Your completed nomination form
must be received no later than 
May 1, 2024.
There will be more announcements as we get closer to parade day. For up to date information, please visit the Chatham Parade Page on Facebook or the Parade Website or join the e-newsletter here.

2024 July 4th Parade Theme

The Chatham Independence Day Parade Committee is pleased to announce the theme for 2024:

“Chatham – It’s a Shore Thing!”

The idea for this year’s theme was submitted by Chuck Borkoski.

The committee receive multiple thoughtful entries highlighting the importance of our beloved beaches. Chuck wrote in his suggestion “One of the town’s greatest assets is its shoreline.” We quite agree and we look forward to seeing all of the entries celebrating this special feature of Chatham!

Parade participants will use the theme for inspiration to design their entries. Entries cannot be judged for prizes if they do not incorporate the theme in their entry! Thousands of spectators are expected to line the streets of downtown Chatham for this year’s Independence Day Parade on Saturday, the Fourth of July.

Prize categories for float entries are posted online and the entry form will be available in Mid-May. At that time you can go to the committee’s webpage, chathamparade.com, to register online or download the form. Nominations for Parade Grand Marshal will be accepted during the month of April and the decision will be announced in June.

It’s hard to believe that the parade is a little over three months away. By announcing the theme now, we hope prospective entrants will have plenty of time to design their entries. We look forward to yet another year of clever, imaginative, and all-around fun floats.

2024 PARADE PRIZE CATEGORIES

The July 4 th Parade Committee has announced the prize categories for this year’s float entries.


The categories are as follows:

Overall 1st Place

Overall 2nd Place

Overall 3rd Place

Best Family Entry

Best Youth Entry

Most Patriotic Entry

Funniest entry

Best Civic Entry

Best Business Entry

Parade Participant Entries will open on May 15 and the deadline will be June 15. Grand Marshall Nominations will open on May 1 with a deadline of June 1. We cannot wait to see the creative, fun, and beachy entries you dream up!

The Parade Needs Your Help! Become a Parade Marshal!

The Chatham Independence Day Parade Committee would like to bring back an old tradition for 2024 – Parade Marshals. Parade Marshals help keep the parade moving in a timely and orderly fashion so that the spectators and participants can enjoy the parade without lengthy gaps between entries. Keeping the parade moving helps keep spectators safe and off the parade route and makes the day more enjoyable for all. Marshals will receive and wear the same colorful shirts and hats worn by Chatham IDPC members and walk alongside the parade entries as they pass through town. The IDPC will also recognize all those who volunteer their time for the job! If you are 16 or older and have an interest in working with us as a Parade Marshal to continue the great history of the Chatham Independence Day Parade, please click on this link. The Chatham IDPC will contact you.