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Ingleside neighborhood celebrates 40 years since original July 4 parade

Edward Clark and Lorrinda Ebel knew they had to bring the tradition back after they heard about how much fun the neighborhood had together each year.

MACON, Ga. — The fourth of July was in full swing on Thursday in Macon's Ingleside neighborhood. They celebrated 40 years since their original parade began, and this was the third year it came back after a twenty-year break. 

Jordyan Ryans got to walk in the parade with her little brother Jamison Ryans. 

"I liked how everybody, everyone was matching. All the colors, the tractors, and everyone's smiling," Jordyan said. 

Most of the kids in the neighborhood rode in the parade on a tractor ride, provided by Edward Clark. 

"The tractor is sort of a family thing. One of these tractors around here - my dad grew up on a diary farm. And it was the tractor on the dairy farm," Clark said. 

After he started restoring the tractors, he said he needed a reason to keep few tractors moving - which was a perfect partnership with the parade.

"To keep 'em up and running, you gotta run 'em," he said. 

So for the past three years, his tractors ran the show. 

He helped bring back the parade after a 20-year break, along with Lorrinda Ebel.

"You know, we kept hearing about this parade that they used to do years ago, and, and we've got more and more kids on this street and I'm like, we need to bring this back so that the kids will be talking about it 30 years from now," Clark said. 

The parade included vintage cars, dogs and people dressed in costumes, boiled peanuts, patriotic popsicles, watermelon, and more. 

But for Clark and Ebel, it's about a lot more than just food and fun. It's about patriotic pride. 

"Every year it's getting bigger and bigger. So I think that spirit's been reborn here on Riverdale," Lorrinda said. 

And to keep the fun going, they were handing out prizes for best patriotic costume, best decorated bike and golf cart, and best decorated house.

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