Last year there was no celebration of the Fourth of July in the village of Pinehurst. Folks gathered with children, friends, their pets and folding chairs, but there was no parade. As I had organized the parade for the past three years, people phoned me and village business people and asked why.

A few days afterward, I initiated a meeting with Mayor George Lane about this matter. Together we decided there must be a Fourth of July parade in Pinehurst in 2010. George was very supportive and appreciative.

That was the first hurdle. The second was that we would not have the financial support of the Pinehurst Business Guild. I told George I wasn’t bothered by this, and I volunteered to raise funds. The village of Pinehurst, George and Jean Neil, Clark Chevrolet-Cadillac, Pine Crest Inn, Darling House, Poppy’s, Cameron & Company, Gentlemen’s Corner, Olde Towne Realty and Aberdeen Prescription Shoppe funded the 2010 parade.

My small support staff consisted of Charlie Bronks, Bart O’Conners, Rick Sarnos, Donna Poyner, Dale Smith, Charlene Sazama, Rita Byers, Kendra Muir, Kathryn King and Betsy Donaldson. Many, many thanks to them for their generosity.

I would also like to thank the Pinehurst Police Department, Andy Wilkison, John Frye, the 82nd Airborne Division Color Guard, the Retired Marines Color Guard, Don Goulet, Tommy Bolton, and Floyd Johnson. Their contribution to the success of the parade was great.

Finally, my thanks to the participants. I never saw a more beautiful array of autos and trucks, antique and new; decorated golf carts; bicycles; dancers; loyal Shriners and Boy Scouts. And wasn’t that float from The Village Chapel special?

I hope you enjoyed the parade as much as we enjoyed doing it for you. We are dedicated to having a bigger and better Fourth of July Parade in 2011!

Helen Neill

Pinehurst