City in Celebration
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Pittsfield Parade Marches to the Beat of America's 250th
By Laura Mars
Photos By Marina Dominguez
July 2026
Not quite as old as America at 250, Pittsfield's 4th of July Parade has been marching through the city since 1801. While the parade's history doesn’t include a revolution or birthing a nation (although I’m sure there are times it felt that way), it does include
hard work and dedication of hundreds of people—from participants who put on the show to emergency workers who protect the crowds to the parade committee that keeps things running smoothly.
For ten years running, volunteer Gary Collins has been responsible for the signs that tell the musical acts they are about to be judged, and then to start playing. The judges are the Pittsfield Parade committee and selected community members who sit on the reviewing stand in front of the Crown Plaza entrance on Park Square, near where Collins maintains his post.
“I was pleasantly surprised whenBecky asked me if I would help with the signs,” says Collins, referring to Rebecca Brien, president of the Pittsfield Parade committee. He suspected that his daughter, who worked with Brien, had something to do with it. At first, Collins returned the signs to the committee after the parade. Now he keeps them in his garage. “I want to make sure they ask me back,” he says with a shy grin. “I love it.”
Collins’ love of the parade started way before he began helping with the signs. He grew up in Pittsfield near Wahconah Park, where the parade ends, and can’t recall ever missing a year. What he does remember is walking down the street as a boy with his chairs, his parents, and his four siblings. Years later, he watched the parade with his wife and two daughters. This 4th of July, you’ll see him sharing the day with grandchildren, Mila and Mason.
Hours before the 10 a.m. start, Collins arrives to the spot he roped off the night before to reserve chairs for himself and his family—his other equally important parade job. He later scouts the crowd located a short distance from the judging area and finds someone to hold the first sign that reads “Reviewing Stand Ahead.” He must find the right person who will stand in the road to give bands and musical acts the heads up that they are about to be judged.
Ten-year-old Mila holds the second sign right before the reviewing stand. It reads, “Judging Begins Here. Music—Play.” Because the musical acts are spread throughout
the parade, the sign holders must be alert, waiting for the right time to hold up their sign, which Collins monitors. “It might sound silly, just holding signs,” he says, “but I am honored to be a part of it.”
Leading off the parade this year is Grand Marshal Vin Marinaro and his legacy of working across generations. He taught in Pittsfield schools, is the former director of both the Catholic Youth Center and the Pittsfield Senior Center, and was a recent district governor of the Pittsfield Rotary. Indeed, with Collins behind the scenes and Marinaro leading things off, this year’s Pittsfield Parade is a sure success.
The parade is a mile and a half of uninterrupted, old-fashioned fun, where you can’t help but smile at your fellow spectators and give a shout out to the marchers, many of whom are friends and neighbors. This year’s theme, “America 250—Pittsfield Celebrates the Generations,” is designed to highlight defining moments in Pittsfield’s past, from its central role in Revolutionary history to honoring the generations who built, sustain, and will carry the city forward.
Collins and his family have the generation theme locked up. His father co-owned Pittsfield’s Shire City Sheet Metal back in the day. Collins retired from careers at KB Toys and Berkshire Medical Center and still works at Dery Funeral Home and as a driver for Transport the People. His daughter works for Hillcrest Educational Center. Collins not only enjoys sharing parade day with his family, but with other community members he has known for years, like Mayor Pete Marchetti and his father.
The Pittsfield 4th of July Parade is one of the longest-running parades in the country. With over 100 participants and 50,000 spectators in recent years, it is privately run by the nonprofit Pittsfield 4th of July Parade Committee, Inc.—not the city, not the state, but by the grace of the Pittsfield community, tireless volunteers, and generous donors.
Brien, who took the reins from Marchetti when he became mayor in2024, says the parade has always been a community event, with the same families sitting in the same spot every year coming out not just to watch the parade, but to picnic afterward and stay for the fireworks. PCTV films the parade, giving homebound residents, and those who moved away, the chance to share in the memories.
The parade offers an up-front and personal view of what makes the city tick, one float at a time. “We choose themes that allow a broad representation of participants,” says Brien. “This being the 250th, we asked our participants to focus
on something significant to the history of the city.”
A stand-out this year is the Westside Legends highlighting African Americans from the Berkshires who fought in the American Revolution. The Barrington Stage Musical Theater Conservatory is performing a tribute to A Chorus Line’s 50th anniversary at the start of the parade, then marching in the parade.
One big attraction are the Mummers with their ornate costumes and extravagant style who come from a long tradition of working class entertainers, known for stirring up the crowds in the nation’s oldest folk parade every New Year’s Day in Philadelphia. Other crowd favorites include Corvettes of the Berkshires, and Dan Scace’s restored 1937 LaSalle Convertible Coupe. Floats that show Pittsfield’s long- time commitment to various generations of local community include Berkshire County Head Start, 18 Degrees, Soldier On, Berkshire YMCA, Festival Latino, and Pittsfield Little League.
To see what all the excitement is about, settle into your spot early anywhere along the route from Park Square, down Route 7, to Wahconah Park. There’s not a bad seat in the house.
One day is not enough in Williamstown
While the Hometown Parade is a highlight of the 4th of July celebration in Williamstown, Selectman Matt Neely says there’s not enough time on the 4th for the town to properly celebrate. So they added another day.
On Friday, July 3, the Historical Museum in South Williamstown is hosting a pre-party with students from the Barrington Stage Musical Theater Conservatory (MTC) performing
the “The Star-Spangled Banner” at 12:15 p.m. at the unveiling of the flag that was flown over the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on the country’s bicentennial. The flag was loaned
to the town by Professor William Moomaw, Williamstown resident and professor emeritus of international environmental policy at Tufts. This is followed by performances by The Flatbed Jazz Band, as well as The Green Mountain Boys Fife & Drum Corps.
From 5 to 10 p.m., Freedom Rocks Williamstown outdoor concert at Waubeeka Golf Links driving range features several dynamic artists: Latin Grammy®-winning Mister G (Ben Gundersheimer), Albert Cummings with special guest James Montgomery, Wanda Houston, and Karl Mullen and The Dublin Castle. And at 7 p.m., performances at the ’62 Center include SOLE Defined and a second performance by the Barrington Stage MTC.
The main event—Williamstown 4th of July Hometown Parade—may not be the largest or longest running in Berkshire County, but it overflows with hometown ambiance. At 11 a.m., 50 community groups will march from Southworth Street down Spring Street, led by a Williamstown police officer and his canine partner. Spectators will be treated to the Clark showcasing exhibits An Exquisite Eye and GroundWork; Images Cinema’s huge bucket of popcorn; tractors and horses; and more. Also marching in the parade are Williamstown’s longstanding nonprofits, as well as Little League teams and local schools. “Short and sweet, totally accessible, with plenty of parking,” says Williamstown Chamber Executive Director Susan Briggs.
After the parade, the town treats everyone to a hot dog and, later, fireworks at the golf course. Fireworks not only will be at the Williamstown and Pittsfield parades. They also will happen in Great Barrington’s Memorial Park, over Stockbridge Bowl, and in North Adams after the SteepleCats baseball game. See town websites for details, and Happy 4th!