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Candy a draw for kids at Griffith parade

The candy is never the end game for Cole Thompson, but the thrill of the chase still holds the appeal.

The 13-year-old from Schererville couldn’t be torn away from the side of Broad Street as parade walkers tossed candy during Griffith’s annual July 4th parade Monday. He made it clear to his mom, Corinne Thompson, that he could not be pulled away for any reason.

“I don’t know why he does it; he won’t eat any of it when he gets home,” she said.

Thompson has brought her kids — Cole, Ryder, 9, and Macey, 7 — to Griffith’s parade for the last four years. Normally, they would hit the bike trail to it, but growing kids take longer to get moving in the morning, she said.

Daughter Macey was excited to watch the various dance teams go through and perform, while Cole naturally like the various trucks — fire, towing, it mattered not — that passed on by.

“This is always a nice parade. It’s not super-long, and everyone’s always very friendly,” Thompson said.

Josh and Shannon Weddington, of Griffith, brought their boxer, Ares, to the parade. Ares navigated and schmoozed the crowd without a care in the world, which was a relief to his owners.

Not much scares the affable pup usually, though, which Josh Weddington attributes to his original owner: his cousin, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. David Nowaczyk, of Dyer, who was killed in Afghanistan in April 2012. The couple adopted him from Nowaczyk’s wife two years ago.

“Fireworks don’t even bother him,” Weddington said.

Over at the Lucille’s Bombshell Beer Garden, folks wanting a morning cocktail were happy to see the town celebrating with a togetherness most don’t see everyday.

“People grow up with this parade. I was a cheerleader (in high school), so I grew up carrying one of the flags,” said Ashley Churitch, of Griffith. “It’s nice to see people I grew up with bringing their kids.”

Michelle L Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.