Ypsi 4th of July parade, Michigan’s oldest, to celebrate its 96th anniversary and America’s 250th

On the Ground Ypsilanti is an “embedded journalism” program covering the city and township of Ypsilanti. It is supported by Ann Arbor SPARK, the Center for Health and Research Transformation, Destination Ann Arbor, Eastern Michigan University, Engage @ EMU, Washtenaw Community College, Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission, and Washtenaw ISD.

This Saturday, Ypsilanti will kick off the oldest continuous July 4 parade in Michigan for its 96th year. The parade itself dates back to 1930, but the city has been marking Independence Day since 1824, when Ypsilanti was still called Woodruff’s Grove. 

This year, a pre-parade program will start at 10:15 a.m. with music from the Brass Quintet (a subset of the Ypsilanti Symphony Orchestra)  and a public reading of the Declaration of Independence by members of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

The parade kicks off at 11 a.m. at Cross and Oakwood near the Ypsilanti Water Tower and ends at Rice Street in Depot Town. More than 70 units are scheduled to appear in the parade, rain or shine, and the Ypsilanti Youth Choir will sing the national anthem and “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” 

The parade’s 2026 co-chairs are American Legion Post 282 Commander Joshua McAllister and former Ypsilanti Mayor Cheryl Farmer. 

“People love to see the camaraderie and the tradition. We’re in our 96th year while we’re also celebrating 250 years of America,” McAllister says.

The parade’s honorary marshals are three descendants of Gabriel Godfroy, who established a trading post in 1809 in what is now known as Ypsi. Descendents Mary Joan Godfroy, James Isaac Godfroy, and Mary Phyllis Godfroy Sieger will ride in Eva McGuire’s restored Corvair convertible.

Other units will include representatives of local “Rosie the Riveters” and the Detroit Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen. Also slated to appear is Bernice, a rhinestone-bedazzled Pontiac G6. Eastern Michigan University’s (EMU) new president, Brendan Kelly, will also ride in a parade unit accompanied by EMU athletes and cheerleaders and the EMU eagle mascot, Swoop.

Farmer and other committee members also put together a commemorative newsletter for the parade with historical photos and articles about the history of the parade.

A few of the tidbits shared in that newsletter include information about the parade’s roots in the first recorded Ypsilanti Independence Day celebration in 1824 at Woodruff’s Grove. Later, in 1874, there was a major 50th-anniversary parade with soldiers, pioneers, a band, and the fire department. The parade became a project of the American Legion Post 282 in the ’30s and has remained one of its projects since then. A 2008 fire destroyed Post 282’s building and most historical records, which is why the founding year of 1930 is a best guess.

In more modern times, the parade was at risk of dying on at least two different occasions. There was a funding crisis in 1984, when the Legion said it could no longer finance the parade on its own. The community rallied to keep the parade alive. Last year in 2025, committee members hit another crisis, believing they wouldn’t be able to host the parade due to lack of volunteers. But Farmer says that once the Legion put out the word, community members rallied again to save the parade.

Farmer says she always walked in the parade during her terms as mayor and enjoyed seeing her parents waving to her from the sidelines. But it’s a whole different experience being on the planning committee. She says organizers have learned that they have to start planning the parade more than a year in advance. In part because this year is the 250th anniversary of the United States, there was a lot of competition to engage some of the more dazzling units, like the 1st Michigan Colonial Fife and Drum Corps, which is often booked five years in advance.

Jeanette Gutierrez is on this year’s parade planning committee for the first time, though she’s entered floats on behalf of the Michigan Rosies, one of several “Rosie the Riveter” organizations that exist across the country. This year, the parade will feature two Ypsi-area Rosies, ages 101 and 95.

“From my point of view as a Rosie organizer, the parade is a wonderful way to introduce the community to some of the most distinguished citizens,” Gutierrez says. “It’s been fun and rewarding to be on the other side and help organize such a great community event.”

For more information, visit the parade’s Facebook page.