Families, friends and local organizations decorated their cars, trucks and vans to parade through the St. Andrews Village grounds in Boothbay Harbor Thursday morning, July 2 in celebration of the Village’s 20th anniversary.

Residents of St. Andrews Village Inn, Gregory Wing, Assisted Living and retirement cottages lined the sidewalks to view the parade of vehicles and to hold homemade signs constructed in celebration of the event. Village staff prepared for the parade by tying red and blue balloons to posts all along the property and many of the parade watchers were given red, white and blue pinwheels to display. Many of the participating 35-plus vehicles made a second pass through the Village to give everyone a chance to enjoy the event even more.

“Darn good,” said Village resident Paul Adams when asked about the parade. Adams and Dan Jameson, like others outside the Inn, sat in chairs safely distanced and were wearing masks due to the coronavirus.

“Where’s the band? We need a band,” said Jameson, a singer and musician, before the parade. The festive atmosphere certainly warranted some music – but perhaps at the next event!

Children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and adults waved from their vehicles, many of which were festooned with posters, balloons, stuffed animals and more. There was even a dog which barked from the front passenger seat of a pickup.

American Legion Post 36 put together a float and brought other vehicles, Boothbay Railway Village provided some antique cars and trucks, and Barbara Marr, the Village’s resident services supervisor, stood in the back of a convertible draped in an American flag suit. She was accompanied by a plastic inflatable Uncle Sam in the parade’s lead car.

Happy 20th anniversary, St. Andrews Village.