4th of July Parade, La Porte, Indiana

4th of July Parade, La Porte, Indiana - 1955

Happy 4th of July! I wanted to post something special on our nation's birthday, and decided to scan some slides documenting an Independence Day parade from 1955 - 63 years ago.

La Porte is in northern Indiana, and is nicknamed "The Maple City" thanks to the many maple trees (planted in the 1850's) that line several major thoroughfares. The wonderful parade seen in these scans is a real slice of classic Americana.

You can't have a parade without a marching band! I can almost hear (and feel) the rapid rhythm of the drums. Say, are those maple trees?

Most of the floats for this parade feature local beauties in their finest gowns. I'm not complaining! This first one is brought to you from Scholl Dairy Company, which is still in business in nearby Michigan City.

Sinclair Service Station sponsored this sparkling float featuring a silver rocket.

This next float might be pulled by a boat, but it was brought to you by Hummel's Auto Maintenance, which operated in La Porte for 13 years.

Here's the "City of La Porte" float, with a giant golden key to the city; perhaps the ladies represent the parade queen and her court?

A beautiful antique wagon carries a small band - this one is sponsored by Roxy Music Shop, established in 1939 and still in business!

Of course there has to be a tribute to our armed forces; here's the "Stars & Stripes Forever" float, along with a typical family under the banner that says, "Worth Fighting For".

Baby chicks stand on a rainbow (as they do), with what looks like a box of gold at one end - the box of gold is also protected by women in diaphanous pastel dresses.

It's a rocket again, only this is the firework variety. "Light fuse, run away". I prefer, "Hold in hand (with an oven mitt), light fuse, aim at little brother". But that's just me. This one appears to have been sponsored by the La Porte Jaycees.

I love this one because it reflects the Davy Crockett craze, which was at its height in 1955. They don't mention Davy by name, but it can't be a coincidence that the frontiersman is wearing a coonskin cap. His long-suffering wife waits with two boys in buckskins.

Hey, a change of perspective! The Lions Club had a float in vivid purple, complete with a graven idol of pure gold. In front, a miserable clown, and a man dressed as a woman. As long as he's happy, right?

Ol' Humpty Dumpty is up to the usual shenanigans, sitting on brick walls like he's somebody special. Looks like a friend has already paid the ultimate price (up front) - yolk and albumen everywhere. This float was sponsored by Bortz Farm Store, still in La Porte to this very day!

Wampler Service Corporation (possibly suppliers of heating oil) brings us this scene (is it heaven?). There's a white arched bridge, with pretty women who look like they are on their way to a very classy affair indeed. A patio umbrella protects one of them, while the rest just have to deal with the sun.

Well, that was a lot of pictures, wasn't it? I hope they put you in a good 4th of July mood, and that you all have a wonderful day!

EXTRA, EXTRA... La Porte still does a 4th of July parade, and here's a YouTube video featuring the 2017 version! I hope you have 2 spare hours.