Hundreds of people attended Leland’s annual Fourth of July parade down Main Street on Friday afternoon. The parade king and queen, Mike and Mary Fleishman, were driven by Tom Van Pelt and his wife, Deb, in their 1956 Oldsmobile Convertible, the “Sleeping Bear Dunesmobile.” The grand marshall was Molly Hyde, and Miss Leland 1960, Diane Jackson Vipond, made an appearance in the parade via a bright red Oldsmobile Cutlass.
Other festive parade floats, local groups and businesses, and vintage cars appeared in the parade, including notable attendees like Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II and his family, as well as Slater Nalley, an American Idol top five finalist, who performed the national anthem. In addition, there was a flyover demonstration by the U.S. Coast Guard during the beginning of the procession.
