May 29, 2025
Provided Image/Chrissy Balster
Whitemarsh Township in Montgomery County will hold its Fourth of July parade this year, reversing an earlier decision to cancel it due to public safety concerns. Above, a photo from a past parade at Miles Park.
Weeks after Whitemarsh Township officials canceled the community's annual Fourth of July parade, the board of supervisors voted Wednesday night to reverse their decision and hold the event in spite of concerns about safety.
At a special meeting of the board — the township's second in the last week — all five supervisors voted to move forward with the parade and develop plans to better safeguard the route along Germantown Pike.
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“Whitemarsh wants this tradition and deserves this tradition,” Supervisor Vice Chair Fran McCusker said in a statement on the township's Facebook page. “As we said earlier, safety is our top priority and we are confident that we are taking steps that will allow the community to safely celebrate our nation’s birthday with family and friends.”
The decision to cancel the parade earlier this month drew backlash from Whitemarsh residents who said the board and police department had acted without transparency. In April, Whitemarsh Township Police Chief Christopher Ward had recommended calling off the event over fears that the municipality lacked the equipment to protect the parade route from cars being used to target the community from side streets.
No specific threats were made against the community, which is home to about 20,000 people, and the board of supervisors voted to cancel the parade without providing advance notice to residents.
"This was a good old grassroots win," Chrissy Balster, a Whitemarsh resident who spearheaded a petition to save the parade, said Thursday morning. "The goals were simple: to be heard, to have a conversation, and to bring the parade back. And guess what? The Whitemarsh community showed up, spoke out, and got it done."
Several hundred residents attended the board's first special meeting last Thursday, demanding the township come up with solutions to hold the parade this year and invest in equipment upgrades to protect the route in future years. McCusker apologized to residents and acknowledged that the township had been deceptive in the way it canceled the parade, burying the vote in an agenda that contained unassuming language.
Wednesday night's meeting lasted only 10 minutes. The board voted to hold the parade and residents in attendance declined to speak during the public comment period.
The township has not spelled out how it will handle security for this's year parade, but said more details will be shared with the community next week. The board also committed to taking additional steps to protect the route in future years. Whitemarsh has held the parade since the 1950s.
Balster said she's hopeful that the township will learn from the experience and make more of an effort to work with the community to address challenges.
"Our ask to the township and its board of supervisors is to learn from this tough lesson by committing to transparency, collaboration and thoughtful decision-making that Whitemarsh residents deserve — no rubber stamping or backroom politics, but real, inclusive work that puts the people first," Balster said.
