By Jon King / jking@whmi.com


After a year off for COVID, the annual Brighton 4th of July Parade is ready to roll through Downtown Brighton on Sunday.

The Livingston Sunrise Rotary Club and Brighton Area Fire Authority are looking forward to crowds again line Main Street for the annual parade. Brighton Fire Chief Mike O'Brian says it will start at 10am on Main Street at N. Church Street, and then head down Main Street before finishing on 7th Street near Brighton High School.

After the parade, the fire department will set up Ladder 31 on N. West Street and Main to spray the crowd with water, with what is being referred to as a “larger than life sprinkler.”

The Grand Marshal for this year’s parade is the Staff of the Livingston County Health Department, who the Fire Authority says “worked tirelessly to support the community by keeping everyone safe" during the pandemic by helping to "obtain personal protective equipment (PPE) for our First Responders as well as planning, securing supplies, scheduling staff and volunteers for Covid vaccination clinics and keeping everyone apprised of the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. They put their personal lives on hold for the greater good of the community. It truly was and continues to be a daunting task that they all took on with pride and compassion and for that we chose to honor them at this year’s parade."

But organizers say there are plenty of things to do before the parade, including the 15th Annual Hungry Duck 5k Run & Walk, a Half Marathon that will start at 7am and then a “Duckling Dash” at 9:30am on Main Street.