Sudbury Chamber stages 250th-themed Fourth of July parade with 65-plus acts

Chamber of Commerce · Meeting of July 4, 2026

Sudbury's Fourth of July parade marks the nation's 250th with a "We the People 01776" theme. The Sudbury Chamber of Commerce, hosted on SudburyTV by Martha Welsh and Jamie Chapman, staged more than 65 acts Friday, led by parade marshal Katina Fontes, founder of Athena Education Inc. and new owner of Athena Books. New Horizons at Marlborough, part of the Cummings Foundation, was lead sponsor; executive director Betsy Connolly said the community celebrates in Sudbury "where a lot of it started." Welsh said banner members along Route 20 raised close to $30,000 to underwrite costs.

The Sudbury 250th Committee took first place community float; Cavicchio won commercial first place; Test of Time, the rebranded former A&L Plumbing, took commercial second. Town Manager Andy Sheehan, state Sen. Jamie Eldridge, DA Marian Ryan and House candidate Ravi Simon marched.

After 24 years, retired firefighter Mike Hamill and family are handing the parade to new volunteers.

In the full story:

• Category winners for parade floats, as announced during the broadcast, were
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,153 words

Source: the Chamber of Commerce meeting of July 4, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.