Ridgewood, N.J. Residents Stake Out 4th Of July Parade Viewing Spots Days Ahead Of Time
RIDGEWOOD, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Monday marks the 106th annual Fourth of July parade in Ridgewood, New Jersey, and the clamor and jockeying to see the parade is one of the most unique parts of the parade itself.
As CBS2's Scott Rapoport reported, it has long been said that everybody loves a parade. But for Ridgewood residents, the Fourth of July parade is a borderline obsession.
"Oh, it's nuts. It's insane," one resident said.
On Friday afternoon, the streets in Ridgewood were lined with hundreds of seats as far as the eye could see – upright, folded, and flopped.
They were placed along the roads by residents who are determined to get a good spot to see the parade, even though it isn't until Monday.
Some spectators started putting up their chairs almost two weeks ago.
"Every year they do this. It's a tradition," a resident said.
Lest you think this is folly, some presumptive parade goers have taken to tying their chairs together and roping them to poles, trees and posts, and locking them up.
"They have bike chains on the chairs," a man said.
It is all an effort, of course, to prevent others from stealing their spots on the parade route. And neighbors say that does happen – jockeying for parade views can be very competitive.
"People have stolen chairs, and people get very upset when they steal chairs," said Village of Ridgewood police Chief Jacqueline Luthcke.
Luthcke said people like to maintain their parade-viewing traditions.
"People here want to stake their spots," she said. "It's the same spots they've had for years and years and years. That is where they have always seen the parade from."
Ridgewood residents said the seat-saving is a tradition that goes back more than 50 years – back to a time when Dwight D. Eisenhower was president and Ronald Reagan was elected governor of California.
"As long as I'm here, they've been doing it," a resident said.