Whimsical red wagon floats, marching bands, John Adams and Ben Franklin reenactors, and representatives from over 20 groups marched to commemorate a day of “pomp and parade,” as declared by John Adams in 1776. He believed that Independence Day would be celebrated on July 2 — when the Continental Congress officially voted for independence — not two days later, when he, John Hancock, and 54 others signed the Declaration of Independence.
