Thank You!

Whether you were a spectator, participant, sponsor, or a volunteer, thank you for making this parade, with over 70 participants, the best one yet! Thanks! Photos coming soon.

Start Time:
July 4 @ 10am

Start:
4660 Karl Road

End:
5750 Karl Road

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The Northland area’s largest social event every year!

  • 8:30 – Parade lineup
  • 9:25 – Last possible moment to register to be in the parade
  • 9:30 – 9:45 Float awards
  • 9:50 – national anthem
  • 10:00 – Ribbon cutting ceremony to start the parade

2026 Parade Theme: 250th Anniversary of America

Thank you to our sponsors, friends, participants, spectators and volunteers. Registration and sponsorship for 2026 ends at 9:25am on July 4th!

Participate & Support the Parade

Forms and Payments

Volunteer!

Offered through Columbus Recreation and Parks Department

Be a Parade Monitor

The Northland Community Fourth of July Parade, started in 1962, is the only traditional parade on the 4th of July in Columbus, Ohio!

Parade Logo
This parade is a completely volunteer effort which requires hundreds of hours of dedicated work to pull together this annual event. We ask our commercial and political partners to pay a fee each year for the parade which helps support it. The funds pay for the permit, police, insurance, trash pick-up, crowd control, banners, signs, float awards, and the wonderful grants we are able to give to our High School programs. These funds are raised entirely by the volunteers asking for donations. This year we have added an opportunity on the entry form for you to donate to help the parade as well. We ask that you consider donating if you don’t pay a fee and if you do, if you could add an additional donation, that would be very much appreciated.

Finally, if you know of anyone who would be interested in volunteering for the 4th of July Parade – before or during the parade – please have them email chair@northlandparade.org. We have plenty of positions for anyone who wants to volunteer and many hands make light work!

Grand Marshals: Ray and Loretta Foeller

Ray and Loretta Foeller built their house in Maize Meadows (now part of Maize-Morse Tri-Area) in the early 1960s. Over the years, they became neighborhood leaders. Always members of the civic association, Loretta has often served as the secretary. Loretta and Ray and their children passed out civic association newsletters, and their son, Jim, designed a logo for the Tri-Area. Daughter Alice created a website for the civic group. Son Jim was president of the civic association for a time.
Loretta also has been an active member of the Maize Meadows Women’s Club for five decades, keeping the group together through generations of mothers and daughters. Her own mother was one of the original members.
Ray and Loretta coordinated the neighborhood Christmas Eve luminary display for many years. Saving plastic milk jugs for months on their back patio and purchasing sand and candles in bulk, Ray and Loretta hosted a pickup day at their home. Neighbors came by the dozens to pick up their sand and candles (and milk jugs, if they didn’t have enough of their own). Ray would instruct them how to cut a flap in the side of the jug in order to set up the candle in the sand, and then close it over to protect it from wind. For many years, the sidewalks of Maize Meadows were lined with candlelight as far as the eye could see on dark, quiet Christmas Eves.
Ray and Loretta also have coordinated the neighborhood Egg Hunt for decades, arranging space with the church, finding a sponsor for the candy eggs, purchasing special prizes, hiding the prize eggs, and making sure a volunteer was available to wear the bunny suit Loretta kept on the top shelf in the closet. The sight of their big green pickup truck meant the Egg Hunt was getting ready to begin, and on Loretta’s whistle, the children of the neighborhood would race into the fields at a nearby church for candy and prize eggs.
Now 95 and 90 years old, Ray and Loretta are slowing down. But they still attend the civic association meetings and Loretta attends the Women’s Club. They continue to live independently in the stucco ranch home they had built on Okell Road.
Ray and Loretta Foeller are the kind of “ordinary” neighbors who believe service to the community is a duty. They are the epitome of the character of Northland. Just regular folks, doing the right thing, year after year after year. It has created stability and opened up opportunities for new leaders to step into established roles in the neighborhood.

Junior Grand Marshal TBA

National Anthem Singer TBA


Honor Guards

Please Thank Our Sponsors!

Diamond Level

Stars Level

    Stripes Level

    Patriots Level

    Friends Level

    Political Participants

    Business Participants

    Special Recognition

    • https://davepaulphotography.com/

    Shout Outs

    Northland Community Council

    We would be remiss if we didn’t recognize the incredible organization that makes this event possible year after year— Northland Community Council! (NCC)

    If you haven’t heard of NCC yet, we encourage you to visit https://www.columbusncc.org/ and learn more about the vital work they do. If you live in this area, your neighborhood likely already has a civic association that is part of NCC. And if not—maybe it’s time you lead the way in forming one, with NCC’s support right behind you!

    Thank you, NCC, for empowering communities and helping events like this thrive! 💪🏽🏘️

    Hazel Varanese

    We are beyond grateful for Hazel’s incredible graphic design talent—she’s truly made this parade shine! From the vibrant marketing postcards to the stunning parade banner, VIP car signs, and the five beautifully crafted award signs—Hazel did it all in her spare time!

    And if that wasn’t impressive enough, Hazel juggles all of this while working full-time, volunteering, and continuing to raise the bar in her neighborhood civic. Her creativity, dedication, and community spirit are truly inspiring.

    Thank you, Hazel, for bringing your magic to this event! 👏✨

    Ed Vanesdale

    A huge thank-you to Ed, whose wisdom and foresight keep our parade lineup running smoothly from start to finish! With calm leadership and careful coordination, Ed makes sure every participant is lined up perfectly—turning what could be chaos into an organized celebration.

    He’s never shy about stepping in to help wherever needed, always ready to assist participants with a goal of resolving whatever they need. On top of all that, Ed also manages the announcer’s booth—preparing it & transporting it to Karl Road for the big day and returning it safely to its home for the other 364 days of the year.

    We truly couldn’t do this without you, Ed. Your dedication makes a big difference! 👏✨

    2025 Parade Sponsors and Participants

    We’ll add new registrations as time allows before Thursday’s fireworks. If you register late Thursday or even at the parade before 9:25am, we’ll still add you to this list. Thanks!

    View Parade Sponsors and Participants

    Please be patient as our volunteers update this site.