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Health & Fitness

The Historic Town of Lisbon's First Independence Day Parade and Festival Brought Together the Community for a Common Cause

On a day when there were Independence Day parades in just about every town throughout the United States, the town of Lisbon, Maryland held its first parade yesterday celebrating this very patriotic day (that is, the only one known in recent history).

The parade featured hundreds of entrants showing off their antique cars, trucks, tractors, and motorcycles.  The celebration continued until 7 pm at the property owned by Myers' Mini Barns near the Lisbon Circle. There were activities for kids & adults alike, such as face painting, a moon bounce, a mechanical bull ride & raffles. There were vendors with spices, cosmetics, purses and various knick-knacks.  

Guests formed a long line outside of Alex's Snow Cone stand where patrons could also get Nathan’s hot dogs. In a nearby gazebo, much food was sold by the Lisbon Volunteer Fire Department, the benefactor of the parade. The proceeds are going toward the new and much needed state-of-the-art Lisbon Volunteer Fire Department facility.

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The current firehouse, the “home” to as many as 80 volunteer fire fighters and EMTs, is also a gathering place where the community comes to a once-a-month pancake breakfast and dinners.  It’s also an election polling station, a community meeting place, and a banquet facility. 

Back at the festivities a brass band serenaded as the community came together in the historic town of Lisbon.  The atmosphere was probably similar to what the Lisbon was like in its early days as a way station.

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Known for its pastoral community and its friendly atmosphere, Lisbon is a progressive town with a proud history. Established in 1802, it was the first mixed-use/planned community in Howard County, designed by Caleb Pancoast, a Quaker who understood both the opportunity and need to service travelers along the soon-to-be built Route 144 (National Pike).

Pancoast purchased the land that runs along Main Street in Lisbon, subdivided it into 100 quarter-acre lots which he quickly filled with businesses that provided almost any service or accommodation a traveler or resident might need, from hotel accommodations to blacksmith services. As one of the many 15-mile way stations along the National Road, Lisbon soon became a tourist destination; up to eight stage coaches stopped in the town daily in the 1830s.

Today, it continues to be a sustainable town with a mix of businesses and local citizens working together. Since it is a main thoroughfare and close to I-70, the town is abuzz with activity from before sunrise until well after sunset.





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