By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES — Every story has a beginning, and this is an important one.

The Naples’ Independence Day parade will begin at the town property immediately next to the Naples Fire Station.

This is the first year that the Naples’ parade will be starting at that spot. The parade start time is still 2 p.m. Only the location where it begins has been changed. 

“We moved it up next to the fire station,” Naples Town Manager John Hawley said.

He clarified that most of the parade entries will be lining up on the town property, formerly known as the Begin estate, next to the Naples Fire Station.

“We cannot use the fire department parking lot. Most of it will be on former Begin property,” Hawley said.

Previously, the parade staging area has been at the Village Green. However, the Naples Recreation and Community Activities Department is hosting numerous activities at the Green on July 4th, “so we wanted to make sure there is ample parking at the Village Green,” Hawley said.

Parade entries are encouraged to show up an hour before the start-time for the parade. Ideally, entries should be at the site around 1 p.m. so organizers are ready to march and move down Main Street by 2 p.m.

The theme of this year’s parade is “The Good Ole Days.”

The afternoon parade at 2 p.m. and the fireworks show after 9 p.m. always bring thousands of people to the Causeway.

“It is really hard to estimate an exact number because there are people all over the place — on the land and on the water. The sheriff’s department estimates it is 5,000 to 8,000. It does draw quite a crowd,” Hawley said.

The Town of Naples addresses public safety well before the July 4th celebrations start.

“Naples fire and rescue will be heavily-staffed on that day. Naples Marine Safety patrol will be on the water. The wardens will be on the water. They [the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife] send four wardens to patrol both Long Lake and Brandy Pond,” Hawley said.

The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) “sends a team of officers to help with patrol and traffic control. Volunteers for the sheriff’s department will be here for assisting with traffic control,” he said.

“Generally, they start moving in in the afternoon, during the parade; and from that point on, some of them stick around until the mass gathering for the fireworks,” he said.

Hawley estimated that people show up two to three hours before the fireworks show, which starts after dusk.

“You see people stake their claim with lawn chairs or by parking their vehicles,” he said.

This will be the second year that the Causeway will be entirely closed to traffic. From 9:20 until 10 p.m., the Causeway will be blocked to vehicular traffic from the Intersection at Route 35 to Lakehouse Road.

“During the fireworks, from 9:20 p.m. until 10 p.m., the only vehicles allowed to cross the Causeway are emergency vehicles,” Hawley said.

“The benefit of closing the Causeway is: it allows a whole lot more room for people to view the fireworks without stepping into traffic, and running behind parked cars,” Hawley said.

Central Maine Pyrotechnics will be providing the fireworks display.

“When the fireworks barge moves from land out to the staging area, the warden service and the marine safety set up a parameter that keeps boaters from approaching within approximately 150 feet from the barge,” Hawley said.

As with any mass gathering, another important detail is public restroom facilities. The options at the Village Green are: porta-potties on the premises, the restrooms inside the Singer Center and inside the Naples Museum and Information Center, which will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., on July 4. Also, there are bathrooms inside the changing room facility at Kent’s Landing. On the Causeway, there are porta-potties behind Rick’s Café and in the parking lot at the Evergreen Credit Union.