July 4 parade in Ocean Grove. 2015.   Jean Bredin photo. © Blogfinger.

Paul Goldfinger,   Editor Blogfinger.net

All Independence Day parades in OG have a Grand Marshal.  It is usually a person, but this year it will be The Ocean Grove Beach Church.     But next to that, it is essential  to have some real marching bands for a July 4 parade.

This year the parade will  be on July 3, 10:30 am to 1:00 pm.

Sousa is part of Ocean Grove’s history. So it would be good to have a marching band to play the “March King’s” rousing pieces.

But none of the musical groups which will appear on July 3 in the Grove will resemble or sound like a true marching band.

The CMA has announced that there will be “marching bands” for the July 3 Independence Day parade, but here are the musical groups which will appear:  OG Summer Band, Ragtime band, Band of Strays, Atlantic Wind Ensemble, and the one group which looks the most like a marching band—The delightful Days Ice Cream Kazoo Band.  I guess a marching band is any musical group that marches.

In case you don’t know what a true marching band looks like.

Neptune High School Marching Fliers will unfortunately be absent.  They were also playing hooky on Memorial Day.  Wassup with that?

However, some of these announced groups are quite capable of more or less belting out Sousa,  so his musical ghost will still be present.

Here is a trip down memory lane for our coverage of the 2019 parade:  (There was no parade 2020)

Happy 6th of July. Parade brings crowds, colors, kids and joy.

And here is The US Marine Band with a Sousa favorite.