A large, enthusiastic crowd gathered on the morning of July 4th, lining the streets of Rockaway Beach for the annual Independence Day Parade. This year’s theme was “Waves of Freedom.”
The event kicked off at 11am, with dancing flamingos, a kazoo band, pirates, vikings, and lots of bubbles and fun! The 142nd Wing out of the Portland Air National Guard Base conducted a flyover at 11:17 am, much to the delight of parade-goers. Local emergency responders drew loud applause. Mayor Charles McNeilly cruised through the parade in style in Barry Mammano’s 1929 Ford Model A Roadster
At the end of the event, the crowd was treated to a tradition that locals like to call the “Rockaway Beach blessing” – or true to the parade’s theme this year – the Wave of Freedom – the final entry in the parade was the firetruck, which shoots an enormous stream of water in a giant arc down the street. Children and adults dashed into the street to be doused, then ran away shrieking and laughing. This quickly cleared the streets after the event, and people headed to the Wayside for a hot dog from the Lions, trip on the train back to Garibaldi, or one of many other fun hometown activities…
Thanks to the city of Rockaway Beach, the Rockaway Beach Volunteers and our first responders for all they do to make the parade and all the activities happen, keeping fun, family friendly and safe.
Parade Grand Marshal, Volunteer of the Year and Float Winners:
Many headed to the 17th annual Firecracker Wiener Nationals at Phyllis Baker Park. From Pioneer photographer Don Backman, “While standing around at the Wiener Nationals and before it started, I ran into a very nice young teenage girl with a very nice camera (she also knows how to use it), so I asked the girl to take some photos, and she might get published and credited in the Pioneer. She was really excited about it.She sent me these. This soft-spoken girl knows a thing or two (or three) about photography.
Dear Mr. Backman,
Happy 4th of July! My name is Jessica Finnie and we met at the Firecracker Weiner Nationals event today. I am a high school student (rising senior) and I love photography. Thank you for sharing your contact information with me. I have made a DropBox folder of a few of my favorite photos of the competition. It would be amazing to have any of these photos published in the news. Thank you for this opportunity!
Here are photos by JESSICA FINNIE of the 2025 Rockaway Beach Wiener Nationals.
Photos/Video by Don Backman
There’s always something for everyone in Rockaway Beach, and the fireworks show capped off another traditional Independence Day with “oohs and ahhs.”
Happy Fourth of July!