CLAWSON, Mich. (WXYZ) — The city of Clawson is celebrating the Independence Day holiday in a big way.
Tuesday morning, hundreds of people gathered to watch the 44th annual 4th of July Parade.
"This is our fourth of fifth year coming," said Nate McPartlin as he sat with his wife and children along the road.
"We live right in Clawson, so we just come on down. We went to the carnival yesterday and so we enjoy coming," McPartlin's wife added.
John Ivinson says he has been coming to the parade for more than 40 years. He says his favorite part is watching the fire trucks and classic cars drive past. Ivinson says he hopes that the tradition of going to the parade will stick with the generations that follow him.
"I’m glad that we’ve got our independence and we came up with a pretty good constitution that’s makes our republic work," Ivinson said.
The Clawson celebration will also include a Carnival at Clawson City Park near Elmwood and N. Custer Avenue. The carnival has a $3 entry cost. The carnival opened at 11 a.m. Tuesday and remains open until 10 p.m. After the carnival concludes, the city will host a fireworks show from the park.
The city of Oak Park also celebrated Independence Day with a parade. The route ran along Oak Park Boulevard toward Shepherd Park.
"(The parade) always starts out with the veterans and then there’s bands and the Corvettes and more bands and dancing. It’s just really festive. Everyone is here to celebrate America," Elizabeth Faust said.
Faust says she's been coming to the Oak Park parade every year since she was a kid. For this year's celebration, Faust wore a dress made to look like a flag and matching earrings.
The Cohen family says the Oak Park Parade is also a tradition for them. They say their favorite part of the holiday is spending time with loved ones.
"It’s about having fun in the summer. It’s an excuse to spend time and to have pride in your country," Tzivya Cohen said as she sat with family along the parade route.
While families watched parades in Oak Park and Clawson, others gathered on Belle Isle.
"We got some beef short ribs going on, got a little pork rib," James Bell said as he manned the grill. "You got family, a couple hours off, it doesn't get any better."
The Clark/Pertilla family was one of hundreds celebrating on Belle Isle Tuesday. They say every year they use the Fourth of July as a day to reunite with their family members.
"We have fried chicken, baked chicken, green beans with smoked turkey and white potatoes," Letitia Williams said. "Everybody cooks their favorites and we all eat, laugh and play bid whist.
"Usually, you see family members at funerals or weddings, but this is a happy occasion. So we all get to see people, see the family grow up," Tiffany Blewett added.
