The 4th of July holiday is a time when local villages and towns host parades and one of the longest is held every year in the Village of Manlius. The only exception to that rule is if the 4th falls on a Sunday. The floats and marchers get underway on Saturday beginning at 10 AM and a carnival that follows at 11 AM.
The parade route travels along Stickley Drive. The Fayetteville Manlius Boys and girls Cross Country Teams will service as Grand Marshals. Floats are carefully judged as they pass by. If you arrive early, you’ll notice people rolling along the roadway in chairs modified with wheels that can withstand the roadway. The 37th Stickley Chair Race returns with one person riding in the chair and one pusher, as they say. Vendors were setting up ahead of time on Friday. Bob Atanasio and his partner Dale Galletta faithfully set-up their Sand Art Collectibles booth for parade day and the celebrations to follow. Atanasio says kids get to create their own masterpieces in bottles capped with their favorite cartoon characters.
“The kids will get different sized, shaped bottles and at that time they’ll fill them up with a variety of colored sand. We usually have 10 to 12 varieties of colors of sand.”
Atanasio looks forward to the event every year.
“We enjoy this really. To me… it’s recreation. We enjoy working with the people, working with the kids. I would say it’s more enjoyable and having a good time. Seeing the smiles on their face when they complete what they’re doing. It’s really enjoyable watching the kids. You get a lot of self-gratification out of it.”
Atanasio frequently sees returning customers and also has established friendships with other vendors. Organizers hope the weather cooperates. To find out more click here and scroll down to find more event details.
