Snowplows, kazoo corps, kissing Elvises. Anything goes in Glen Arbor’s Fourth of July parade

From staff reports

“This has to be one of the only Fourth of July parades in America that include a snowplow,” joked the Glen Arbor parade’s unofficial organizer Stan Brubaker. “I called the Leelanau County Road Commission chairman last week and reminded him that we’re looking forward to see the snowplow there. Anything goes in our parade!”

True story. Glen Arbor’s parade features antique cars and firetrucks, the Kazoo Corps and Cherry Republic bear, a team of Elvis impersonators, live music played from a flatbed trailer, and local newspapers tossed from a convertible. Anything goes.

This year’s parade marshals are Bill and Jan Heston, tried and true Glen Arbor residents for 45 years who left Chicago and arrived in 1977 to buy Steffen’s IGA, sight unseen.

“We had a dear friend who lived in Traverse City, but we had not been to Glen Arbor before,” remembered Jan. “We only knew the east side of Leelanau County.”

The Hestons owned the town grocery store for 18 summers until they sold it to Brad Anderson in 1994.

“Everything here is measured by summers,” said Jan, who at age 78 still exudes a graceful smile. “Glen Arbor is a lot busier now, without a doubt. We used to be able to angle park on the street, back when there were no curbs.”

Busier, yes, but she raves about the businesses that have grown and thrived here, including Boonedocks, Glen Arbor Bed & Breakfast, the Coffee Roasters, and Cherry Republic. “We have such wonderful streetscapes and a great Glen Arbor park.

For parade marshal, Brubaker usually chooses those who have spent decades here.

“We always try to get the old timers here in Glen Arbor rather than people who just appeared on the scene,” he said. “The big effort is to keep this thing very casual, to replicate the way it used to be.”

Arrive early for this year’s Glen Arbor Fourth of July parade, bring a lawn chair, and find your spot along M-109 or M-22, as this event draws a big crowd. The parade leaves Glen Haven around noon and typically arrives downtown by 12:30.