Fourth of July

NORTHVILLIANS,

Happy Fourth of July Weekend!  Yes, there will be a Northville parade (July 5^th), thanks to the Chamber…and perhaps we can get back to some sort of normalcy seeing the State has lifted all restrictions. In this week’s article, we’ll conclude the series on “Patriotism” as we talk about our historic 4^th of July parades and festivities.

This year the parade will be a little different and more contained (but a parade, nonetheless).  The route will start at Northville Downs and make its way to OLV.  The path itself will go North on Griswold, West on Cady, North on Rogers, and West on Main Street, ending at OLV.

Let’s take a look at 4^th of July Activities in Northville through the years…

• The Northville Record reported on 4^th of July activities all the way back to 1895, remarking that over 5,000 visitors that year (almost the entire population of Northville) enjoyed festivities from dawn-to-dusk. This included a sunrise 21-gun salute, a huge parade and a Fireworks Finale. Folks from all over Detroit would come to Northville via trolleys & trains to catch the day’s events.
• In 1927, Northville celebrated its 100^th (Centennial) birthday by hosting the largest parade ever seen in Michigan up to that time, which was made possible with assistance from Henry Ford. (Ford spent a great deal of time in town & wanted to make this historic event special for the community.)
• Activities for the Centennial Celebration included A LOT:
  • Three days of Sports in the Street.
  • Concerts (historically in the “Crow’s Nest” band shell at Main St. & Center) along with bands setting up on the lawn of the American Legion.
  • Ford Field hosted games for the youth, a community softball match and an old timer’s baseball event.
  • Square dancing and barbecues took over the streets (where the social district is today).
  • The parade contained floats, marchers, vehicles and ships depicting early Northville History…”100 Years of Progress” was the theme.
  • Spectacular fireworks capped off the 100^th anniversary events.
• In the past, there were orators that spoke at that Crow’s Nest over the 4^th of July weekend.  Choral concerts and barbershop quartets also sang there. The NHS band was always an attraction in the parade and the band shell.  
• Additional Fourth activities included Horse Races (pacers, trotters, thoroughbreds, & Shetlands) and pony rides. Speed boat experiences on the Mill Pond, duck races and other festive happenings took place at the Mill Race Village.
• Street dancing on the weekends on Center St. kicked off on the July 4^th weekend and finished up on Labor Day.  Notably, cornmeal was spread on the streets for the dancers. It was mentioned in the Record that folks in town historically (especially for our Centennial) decorated their houses, factories & businesses in elaborate patriotic themes.
• Finally, back in the day, people would catch the trolley from Northville to head to Walled Lake (especially around the 4^th of July) to enjoy the amusement park & participate in speed boat rides on the big lake. They could walk across the street to the Casino at night to dance to big band sounds from Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller and even Louis Armstrong, among others who performed live & in-person. This Casino was destroyed in a fire and (sadly to say) the giant roller coaster was condemned when I was young.

Summing it up, Northville has always been a summer 4^th of July destination.  

Enjoy its beauty, stroll through Ford Field and the Mill Race Village and soak in that history. And be sure to make your way to the parade on July 5^th (before the jets fly over to salute the town’s patriotism!).

Again, celebrate this Nation’s birthday & have fun on your holiday weekend. I encourage you to continue to reach out to all in the community, staying connected, as we see the shining light at the end of this pandemic tunnel. Thank you for all you have done!

Keep that Northville 4^th of July Faith!

Brian Turnbull
Mayor – Northville
BTurnbull@ci.northville.mi.us / 248.505.6849

(Reach out to me anytime or forward this communication to others interested.)

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