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The Canonsburg Fourth of July Parade is a parade through Canonsburg, Pennsylvania celebrating Independence Day. It is the second-largest Fourth of July parade in Pennsylvania, second only to Philadelphia, despite Canonsburg having only 8,607 residents.[1] 50,000 to 60,000 people usually attend.[1][2] The parade starts on Morganza Road and runs down the length of Pike Street, heading westward, for approximately 1.5 miles.
The parade begins at 10:00 AM on the Fourth of July. Parade members include high school and other marching bands from Washington County and the surrounding areas, local sports teams and cheerleaders of all ages, fire trucks, emergency responders, horses, shriners, unicyclists, jugglers, pipers, polka bands, various church groups, local politicians, and the mayor of Canonsburg. Some members of the parade throw candy to the children along the parade route, and others pass out water bottles.
After the parade, the day's festivities continue with food, concerts, events in Canonsburg Town Park, and family entertainment throughout the day.[3] The day ends with fireworks launched near Canon-McMillan Memorial Stadium.[4]
The parade is perhaps regionally most famous for the long-standing tradition of enthusiasts placing chairs, benches, and beach chairs along the parade route to reserve their seats, sometimes a week or more ahead of the parade. This has caused controversy among some residents and business owners, but the tradition continues to this day.[2] The seat saving ritual has attracted the attention of CNN, Jay Leno, and David Letterman.[5]