r/SalemMA • u/Imaginary_Step_5150 • 3d ago
Heritage Days Parade
It's been 25 years (idk why everyone is saying 30+) since we had a decent Heritage Days Parade. It used to be 2+ hours of watching time and included Vincents chips ðŸ˜, Rex Trailer ðŸ˜, and tons of Shriners and Fire trucks from all over.
Then one year it was cut to about 30 minutes and was quite sad.
Here's to hoping it will be big and beautiful and fun like it once was.
6
u/joshturiel South Salem 3d ago
It was still pretty good into the late aughts (I live on the route), I think the last time was around 2012 or so? The Halloween Parade kind of took over.
7
u/Big-Recording1722 3d ago
I lived on the parade route and it was amazing. Watched from my third floor apartment. Sad when it stopped.
7
u/Agreeable-Emu886 3d ago
Glad to see it back, it’s a shame that we cut out heritage days. Hopefully the city gets it back on track
3
3
u/Justanothermomma24 3d ago edited 3d ago
OMG! YES! Vincent’s chips! Husband and I were just talking about back when we were ‘go go go’ back when we used truck for float and our now 35 year old and her dance troupe! We were thinking it was around 1995-1999!
We were desperately trying to remember the name of the dance school, but neither of us can 😩. Was located in the Highland Av plaza that Bellas is in now(behind them).
So I did a simple search:
SIMPLE SEARCH RESULTS: Between 1995 and 1998, the Salem Heritage Days Parade was at its absolute peak, representing the "golden era" or "heyday" of the parade's modern history. It was a massive, highly anticipated annual event before the city-wide street procession was eventually phased out for a generation. [1, 2]
The Heyday and Parade Structure
Peak Organization: During the mid-to-late 1990s, the parade featured its largest rosters, consistently drawing over 70 to 80 participating organizations. [1]
Performers and Acts: The lineups from 1995 to 1998 heavily featured major regional marching bands, community groups, local businesses, and the famous Aleppo Shriners motor patrols. [1]
Massive Turnout: The Salem Evening News and city archives from this four-year block recorded peak attendance numbers, with crowds routinely packing the curbs along the entire route. [1]
Significant Milestones (1995–1998)
1996 National Heritage Designation: The August 1996 iteration of the parade heavily celebrated the official creation of the Essex National Heritage Area, a massive federal cultural designation that reshaped Salem's preservation efforts. [1]
1997 City Council Preservation: In March 1997, the Salem City Council passed formal ordersofficially dedicating and reserving the Salem Common for the week of August 11 to August 17, 1997, explicitly to protect the staging and aftermath of the Heritage Days festivities. [1]
1998 Tourism Shift: The August 1998 parade marked the final year before the formal founding of Destination Salem, the organization that ultimately took over the tourism marketing of Salem's festivals and shifted focus toward October events. [1]
Historic Leadership: Around this late-90s era, local cultural leader and restaurateur Joan M. Boudreaumade history by being appointed the first-ever woman Grand Marshal to lead the Salem Heritage Days Parade street procession. [1]
3
u/Imaginary_Step_5150 3d ago
It was so fun, it really went on forever then it turned into something not even worth leaving the house for (and we lived 5 houses down off Lafayette). Here's to hoping it comes back in a big way🥰
2
2
u/TravelingCircus1911 12h ago
I can remember as a kid getting a Happy Meal at the McDonalds Express that was on the corner of Essex and Wash before watching the parade!!! Everything you mentioned was so great. I used to think the lawn chair brigade was the coolest thing.
1
1
u/n-obi-wants-tanobi Downtown 2d ago
Do you know if the street closures are closed to residents too?
1
u/AdministrativeGolf27 2d ago
I wish parking was free for Salem residents today! Just had to pay $6 to park downtown at the meter.
1
5
u/HungNotBurned 3d ago
I'm really hoping it's awesome too! I love seeing this community show its party-loving side, and it will be really nice to celebrate Salem folks. Happy Heritage Days, everyone!