Whitemarsh Twp. 4th of July Parade back on after previously being canceled

WHITEMARSH TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WPVI) -- The annual 4th of July parade in Whitemarsh Township is back on.

Earlier this month, the Board of Supervisors voted to cancel the 70-year tradition, which the township pays for, saying that the township does not have the funding to implement safety improvements.

"We heard the community loud and clear. We had a collaboration meeting with all emergency services," said Vice Chair Fran McCusker. "They came back with an enhanced security plan that they'll be working on throughout the next couple of weeks to make sure we keep our Fourth of July parade as safe as possible."

Officials say there will be enhanced security this year and additional steps will be taken in future years.

The township had budgeted around $28,000 for the parade but adding measures, including barricades and water-filled jersey barriers, was estimated to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in one-time fees alone.

While there was no direct threat to Whitemarsh Township, officials cited deadly attacks in New Orleans and Vancouver, and a shooter at a 4th of July parade in Illinois.

After the uproar, township staff and community members looked at ways to safeguard the parade route.

The board apologized for the lack of transparency in the initial cancellation and said they heard the community loud and clear.

"Thank you very much for having such a civil discourse last Thursday. For apology- we meant what we said about transparency, and we meant that we're going to do better," McCusker said.