MONUMENT — The annual Fourth of July Parade in Monument, pop. 118, may not be the biggest around, but it takes a back seat to no one when it comes to small-town charm. 

On a bluebird day when the temperature soared into the 90s, locals and visitors gathered in J. Dempsey Boyer Park to watch the procession, which stretched for a block or two and made a couple of laps through town.

Grant County Sheriff Todd McKinley led the way in a white pickup sporting an American flag, holding the pace to a stately (and safe) 2 mph. 

His opponent in the upcoming election, Scott Moore, also took part, tossing handfuls of candy to young parade-watchers from the back of a truck decked out in red, white and blue bunting and large campaign signs.

The procession also included a tractor, several side-by-sides, a couple of dirt bikes, a fire truck, an ambulance, a forklift and a vintage military jeep. There was a float featuring several women in patriotic costumes and an inflatable Uncle Sam, a pickup truck hauling a smoking barbecue grill, and two young ladies on foot leading a calf.

Local residents Max Breeding and Dallas Helsley were among the spectators.

Breeding said he comes most every year to watch the parade.

“It’s a reason for people to get together and socialize,” he said.

Helsley echoed that sentiment.

“I enjoy the parade and the sense of community,” he said, “people coming together and talking about what’s going on …”

“In the big city,” Breeding chimed in.

” … and how lucky we are to be away from it,” Helsley finished.

The park held a smattering of vendor booths offering everything from clothing to homemade soaps to jewelry to face painting, while food booths sold hamburgers, hotdogs, biscuits and gravy, fry bread, lemonade and tamales.

A variety of children’s games were scheduled for the afternoon, along with a cornhole tournament for the grownups, a rubber duck derby on the John Day River and, to cap it all off, a fireworks show at dusk.

Makenzie and Scott Downs traveled from Monroe, Washington, with son Carson, 3½, and daughter Attie, almost 2, to visit Scott’s parents, Ed and Sharon Downs, who live in Kimberly. 

Scott’s parents, Darrell and Suzie Downs, came down from Camas, Washington, and his aunt, Sandie Ely, made the trip from Monroe.  

“We have four generations here,” Ely said.

The family group staked out a shady spot in the park after the parade, sitting in lawn chairs and visiting with their friends Jim and Tina Davenport from Kimberly.

Asked what they liked about Monument’s Fourth of July parade, they all cited the small scale and feeling of community.

“Where I’m from it’s a great big parade,” Makenzie Downs said. “(Monument’s parade) still has just as much energy — just not as many floats.”

“It’s small town, back the way it used to be before the country got so cluttered,” said Ed Downs, Scott’s father.

“I like all the camaraderie of all the people who get together and come down to the park … and watch all the kids have fun and get all the candy,” added his wife, Sharon.

The last bit was the main attraction for their great-grandson, Carson.

“There was treats there,” Carson said in tones of wonder, remembering the fistfuls of suckers he snagged at the parade. With some prompting from his dad, he also acknowledged that he liked the fire truck and the motorcycle.

Ron and Sherry Allen, the owners of the Monument Motel and RV Park, were running one of the food booths, serving up hotdogs and cheeseburgers with bags of chips, homemade potato salad and cold drinks. 

The couple — who moved to Monument seven years ago from the Olympia, Washington, area — were donating all proceeds from their food sales to the town’s fireworks show and Independence Day celebration.

“We love it here,” Sherry said. “We’re all about our community and supporting it — and making sure (the celebration) continues on in the future.”