'Stay in the shade': Bethpage parade kicks off in sweltering heat

“Stay in the shade, you're in a good spot,” said the driver of one of the vintage cars in the parade to a group set up on the sidewalk for Bethpage's parade marking the 250th.

While Friday was a day of celebration, it was also one of extreme heat.

Parade organizers handed out water bottles and onlookers gathered in shady areas to beat the heat on a day where temperatures are expected to break into the triple digits. Some children in the parade threw water balloons at residents watching from the sidewalk to help them keep cool.

Earlier, Greg Patsos, commissioner of the Bethpage Fire Department and an organizer of Friday's America 250 parade, said hundreds of marchers are expected to make their way from Bethpage High School down flag-lined streets for the celebration.

Classic car clubs, vehicles from the Museum of American Armor and multiple fire departments will take part in the procession, which will eventually wend down Broadway, where a street fair is set to be held.

"It's 250 years of the country," Patsos said at the staging area of the parade on Cherry Avenue. "We're very proud, we're very patriotic in this town."

Dave Schneider, superintendent of the Bethpage School District and an organizer of the event, said the parade committee urged people to wear sunscreen, hydrate and stay out of the sun for prolonged periods.

Ilze Pelkaus, of Bethpage, said she was taking precautions and making sure she hydrated during the parade.

“I'm an old lady, but I’m hanging in,” she said.

Pelkaus was worried about how hot it would get but said she was glad the parade started early.

“It's like 90 degrees, and the humidity, you gotta be careful for heat stroke,” Pelkaus said.

Lenard Mulqueen, the parade's grand marshal and a lifelong Bethpage resident, said he is representing the behind-the-scenes members of the community who don't often get recognition.

The parade will serve an important moment of reflection, he said.

"We live in the greatest, most charitable country on the world," said Mulqueen, 83. "You gotta be proud of that."

Maritza Lopez and her daughter, 6-year-old Cassandra, both of Bethpage, were braving the hot Friday morning with water bottles stuffed in a cooler bag.

Cassandra, a member of Girls Scout Troop 3137, is one of the marchers in Saturday's parade.

“It’s a special day for America,” said Maritza Lopez. “We get to celebrate more than usual.”

Driving a modified ATV that looks like a miniature tank, George Morrish, a volunteer with the Museum of American Armor, said he sees the American anniversary as an opportunity to build a sense of unity.

“I think it’s important that we get back to the way things used to be, at least as far as, we have have our differences, but coming together,” Morrish said.