A Navy veteran and longtime talent consultant for family-friendly entertainment acts, Bill Hall has watched the Glenside 4th of July Parade grow from a simple afternoon to an all-day, three-tiered celebration.

Now in his 26th year as coordinator, Bill expects this summer to again bring out the best in Glenside with a children’s program in the morning, a parade in the afternoon, and a fireworks display in the evening.

“We hope we give the area the best family-friendly outing of the year, and our reputation has grown. In a sense, we’re the Fourth of July capital of the eastern United States, and possibly beyond,” he said.

Units from as far as Florida, Tennessee, and New England reach out to the GGPA just to come and be a part of it. That level of success has required a year-round level of effort and a reliable, volunteer-driven team.

“As soon as the parade ends, we start booking units for the following year,” Bill said.

For Bill, the labor is worth it come Independence Day.

“Years ago, Abington Township commissioner Mike Gillespie asked me to bring it to a quality format. I told him that I wanted to bring back fireworks for the year 2000. I started going to the Greater Glenside Patriotic Association’s monthly meetings, and here I am today,” Bill said. “I think we’ve improved the celebration to a great degree. We have a great team. I enjoy serving under Jamey Piggott, our President. He has a way of getting people to do sometimes laborious chores.”

Bill’s primary responsibilities include soliciting grants and fundraising for what amounts to a $70,000 day. The fireworks cost $15,000 alone.

“The units don’t come for free, they have to rent charter buses just to get here,” he said.

A boon to fundraising has been the annual Keep the Parade Running 5K in April, now in its 10th year. The event began in memory of former Abington commissioner Carol Gillespie’s late husband Mike, an active member of the GGPA for years.

For more information and updates on the Glenside 4th of July Parade, you can visit their website and Facebook page. For an interview with Bill on behalf of the GGPA last year, you can read this transcript:

GGPA: How did you get involved with and how long have you been with the GGPA?

Bill Hall: Late Glenside Ward 13 Abington Township Commissioner Mike Gillespie (R), aware of my family-friendly entertainment business, solicited us in 1998 to become involved with the community’s July 4th parade, which he said was on a downward slide. We originally rejected his bidding, stating we were “too busy” to get involved. Appreciating his persistence (3 visits within a 3-week period), we finally relented, providing we had his okay “to shake up the parade.” We added a condition that if we helped improve the parade, Greater Glenside Patriotic Association officials would consider bringing back a July 4th fireworks display for the 2000 celebration, as pyro displays in Abington had been cancelled in the 1990s. Fireworks (“America the Beautiful Aerial Fireworks Spectacular”) have occurred ever since.

GGPA: What are your role(s) with the committee?

Bill Hall: My titles are Parade/Fireworks Coordinator and Media/Public Relations Director. When soliciting discerning and heavy-hitter financial contributors, we sign our request letters as Grant Coordinator.

Believing that you must be ready to assist when and wherever necessary, we are known to be a severe critic, at times, in our attempts to improve each year’s celebration rather than accepting the status quo.

GGPA: What is your favorite part of July 4th in Glenside?

Bill Hall: Oddly, seeing large, quality motor coach vehicles, rolling east along Jenkintown Road, and then south on Easton Road, after discharging parade musical and marching units, enroute to parade finish at Renninger Park. Spectators seeing them pass by know, excitedly and expectantly, that the parade is coming, and it will be a big one. Also, knowing that the GGPA team gave the community its top, family-friendly, patriotic event of the year!

GGPA:What is your favorite 4th of July memory?

Bill Hall: Too many good memories to select one over another. But clear-weather days and nights are always well-remembered.

GGPA: What is the best thing about Glenside?

Bill Hall: Pleasant, helpful, considerate residents in a small-town setting who solidly support a big-city, real Americana-style 4th of July celebration.