COASTAL OBSERVER

If anyone complained about the Pawleys Island Fourth of July Parade starting an hour earlier than usual, it wasn’t the ones wearing the wigs or colonial costumes who were celebrating America’s 250th birthday.

“It’s a big deal,” said John Hildreth from underneath the wig he wore as one of the faces of Mount Rushmore. A little sweat was a small price to pay.

Hildreth, who was last year’s grand marshal, was back behind the wheel of his 1954 GMC fire truck, albeit without his fireman’s helmet.

With Washington, Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt aboard – along with a load of flag-waving, candy-throwing kids – the truck led the floats along the route and in the minds of the judges, who gave it the trophy for Best Overall.

It was the 60th annual parade, and the 1966 Dodge pickup that followed the fire truck carried a tribute to the first parade, which started from the Cassena Inn on the north end. Jay Hope, whose grandmother was a co-owner of the inn, was one member of the rag-tag band in the first parade.

He said it was a tribute to the Meighen, Bondurant and Wilson families that started the parade and kept it going.

The anniversary drew 62 floats, up from 49 last year even though July 4 fell on a Saturday when rental houses turnover. (That was the reason for the 9 a.m. start.)

It was the Chandler family that hit the target as float No. 60 in the 60th year. Their 1957 Army truck was Most Patriotic winner last year. This year, they won Best Musical, featuring two members of the popular band Winyah – Luke Gordon and Stephen Russell – and Trip Chandler. 

Most Patriotic this year was the Douglas and Murdock families’ float “Washington Crossing the Delaware.” The wooden boat was a step up from the cardboard they used last year to win best overall as the Inlet Point Pirates.

The Inlet Point Patriots also staged a water fight between Continentals and Redcoats. Anyone along the route who asked, also got sprayed from the boat’s two water cannons.

Dana Musgrove was the first to sign up for the parade. “I was just riding around and saw the sign,” she said.

She and her husband, Mark, won an award for decorating their golf cart as a sandcastle last year, adding to the trophies they collected the two previous years.

“The hard part’s coming up with a theme,” Mark said.

This year, it was a piece of cake. A three-layer birthday cake made of foam with white tablecloth used for icing. Mark dressed as a barefoot Uncle Sam and Dana was Lady Liberty. On the back, Cindy and Roger Musgrove were Betsy Ross and George Washington.

The combination earned the Best Golf Cart trophy.

The 250th also had a lighter side. The Marlow family and friends celebrated the “Flounding Fathers” with a muster of colonial Minnow Men. Their Washington was crossing the creek, with the word Delaware crossed out.

The gang from Granny’s Beach House on Atlantic Avenue, dressed as grannies, filled a pickup truck and a boat. Hunter Reid wore a flowery pink dress from TJ Maxx, a white wig and a beard that you can grow when on vacation. Did they consider a 250 theme?

“This is what freedom looks like,” Reid said.