Congratulations to The Anna Maria Island Privateers for staging another great Fourth of July parade, bringing together neighbors and visitors for a wonderful day and chance to celebrate our great country.
It was a fun, well-produced parade that attracted good-sized crowds of people lining the route from Coquina to the Anna Maria City Pier.
There were even groups of empty chairs placed out early along the road to stake out the shady spots, similar to the De Soto Grand Parade in Bradenton.
And it was nice to see everyone pulling together and recognizing we are all on the same team here, despite our differences.
Also deserving plenty of recognition was the city of Anna Maria for its Party in the Park. How many public festivals are there anymore where the food and drinks are free?
What a nice, pleasant gathering in City Pier Park, full of good company and small-town flavor.
As usual, the nighttime drew the fireworks crowd to the beaches and, fortunately, there were no reported injuries from all the pyrotechnics. And there were lots of pyrotechnics.
All in all, a grand old holiday worth savoring and remembering.