East Longmeadow Historical Commission member and 2026 parade marshal George Kingston.
Reminder Publishing photo by Peter Tuohy
EAST LONGMEADOW — East Longmeadow Historical Commission member George Kingston is set to ride in style as this year’s parade marshal for the annual Fourth of July parade, one of the largest Independence Day celebrations in Western Massachusetts.
The Fourth of July Parade attracts thousands to East Longmeadow, with 1,500 marchers and an estimated 20,000 spectators in 2024 alone.
A parade marshal is assigned each year to a community member who goes above and beyond for the town.
Kingston moved to town in 1979 while working as a researcher at Monsanto. He joined the town government in 1988 and spent two decades with the Conservation Committee.
He spent 15 years with the Planning Board while also serving on the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and the Charter Commission, where he helped write the town charter. He joined the Historical Commission just a few years ago.
Kingston is an engineer by trade but said history has always fascinated him. He has spearheaded the process of making sure the town’s archives and historic materials are properly preserved since joining the commission.
“It’s a great honor,” Kingston said. “I was really somewhat surprised when I was told that I had been selected. I knew that I was going to be nominated, someone had told me that, but I didn’t expect to get it. There are a lot of other people who’ve done a lot for the town as well and maybe better known than me, and their time will come too.”
Kingston said that he looks forward to “sitting back and enjoying” the parade this year.
“I’ve marched in the parade before with various other groups over the years, so I know what the parade is like,” Kingston said. “I’ll be happy that I’m not marching this year, because I’m up there in years now and walking over the hot blacktop is not something that I would like to do at my age.”
He said that East Longmeadow has held parades since the town’s founding in 1894, and records show the Fourth of July parade has always been a big deal. He said the kids love it, people from other towns can come enjoy it and that local businesses are able to promote their stores in it.
He also gave a preview of the Historical Commission’s parade float, which will be toting both the 1976 and 2026 time capsules. Historical Commission and Rotary Club members will march with the float, referring to themselves as the “time capsule keepers,” according to Kingston.
The parade kicks off from the high school at 10 a.m. on July 4 and marches down Maple Street, North Main Street, Mapleshade Avenue and Elm Street to Birchland Park Middle School.
