Author: Caroline

FCC last built a float for the July 4th parade back in 2005. (You can see a video of that float in the “Our History” page of this website.) Led by our 350 Fund mission statement, we were determined this year to reach out to the wider community. Along with our project offering water and bathroom facilities to all parade goers, we decided to again build a float for the July 4th parade. The journey from idea to finished product was eventful — mostly filled with kind people offering their time, their skills and their hard work to turn the idea of our church into a message that would reach out to the thousands of people lining the parade route.

The idea to again build an FCC float for Bristol’s Fourth of July parade was raised at the launch of the 350 Fund on Pentecost 2024. Only this time we were determined to design the float to be used year after year, taken apart for storage in the church basement and reassembled each July. Member and architect Alan Berry immediately stepped up with an offer to design a “to scale” model of the historic Norman sanctuary and bell tower, the first “stone church” in Bristol. Here are a few pics of the transition from design to raw plywood, timber and paint on the lawns and in the basement of the church, to a fully built float standing proud on the flatbed.

ELJ Construction, Inc. kindly agreed to provide a truck, driver and flatbed. Then a construction team, painting team, decorators, and marchers were all recruited. The lawn and basement of the church were chosen as the best site to build the float.

Once the platform, frame and lightweight panels had been cut and assembled, the team of painters got to work. Rolling on primer and top coat, detailing every roofing slate, sponging on every stone, painting in every window pane and doorway.

One by one, the panels were completed.

The walls, the bell tower, the roofing, the buttresses, the platform on which the entire structure would sit.

Banners were designed and made by Hill House Graphics. Flags, buntings and Astroturf were purchased. Everyone worked hard for several weeks in June to build, paint, haul all the pieces of the float up out of the basement to assemble on the flatbed, and finally to decorate the flatbed.

And early on the morning of July 4th, an imposing model of our church rolled away on its flatbed trailer from the grounds of the church to join the 33 other floats, the marching bands, the town dignitaries and all of the other hundreds of marchers who made up the hours-long parade that moved along the red, white and blue center lines of Hope and High streets on a bright, sunny day following a night of intense thunder storms on July 3.

Here is a video of the FCC float as it slowly moved along the parade route, led by our stalwart banner holders, Sam and Brady, and our team of marchers. Many thanks to everyone who created this church float and marched along with it on July 4th!

On the afternoon of Sunday, June 29th, First Congregational Church hosted the 2025 Interfaith Service, part of Bristol’s Fourth of July celebrations every year. This event brings together clergy from the town’s houses of worship in a patriotic, multi-denominational prayer gathering. The service began with rousing bagpipe music from a Highland Piper, the Town Cryer, the trooping of the flag by uniformed members of the Bristol Train of Artillery, the Miss Fourth of July winners, town dignitaries and religious leaders marching down the aisle.

The Rev. Dr. Nancy H. Soukup, Settled Minister of First Congregational Church welcomed attendees, while Nikita Zabinski, Director of Music, and the church choir provided spirited music throughout the service.

Spiritual leaders from all of Bristol’s houses of worship joined in delivering a moving liturgy that explored the contemporary significance of our nation’s founding principles and spiritual beliefs.

The 2025 Interfaith Speaker was Father Robert Marciano who presently serves as Pastor of Saint Kevin Parish and school in Warwick and President Emeritus of Bishop Hendricken High School, Warwick. Father Marciano also serves as Chaplain to the Warwick Police and Fire Departments.

FCC is Bristol’s “founding church,” the establishment of which in 1680 enabled the founding of the town of Bristol in the same year. Rei Battcher, a Bristolian, historian, librarian, historical reinactor, and genealogist, and Rev. Soukup read the entirety of the Declaration of Independence, whose stirring text takes on added meaning in a time of challenge to our democracy.

During a reception following the service, FCC refreshments included a cake celebrating the successful completion of the church’s Fourth of July float, a “to scale” model of the historic 1856 sanctuary and bell tower. Rei Battcher provided insights on the role that FCC minister the Rev. Henry Wight played in Bristol’s Fourth of July celebrations.

Rev. Wight, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, led the way in establishing what are now known as “Patriotic Exercises” – back in 1785. These Patriotic Exercises focused on remembering, honoring and celebrating all that the Revolutionary War veterans had done in establishing our then new nation. Each year after 1785, on the 4th of July, Patriotic Exercises were held to honor the work of those who founded our nation. Rev. Wight himself was the Patriotic Speaker at the Patriotic Exercises for over 40 years. Each year, Bristol begins its famous parade with the Patriotic Exercises, which is why Bristol can claim the oldest 4th of July Celebration in America.

Ever since Alan Berry, our architect, finished the designs for the new FCC Bristol Fourth of July Parade float and Jim Sapp ordered in all the wood and other materials to build it, a busy and talented team has been measuring and cutting and nailing and screwing it all together right on the church side lawn. As of Sunday, June 15, we now have a totally built 10 ft. church tower and a completed church skeleton that looks just like Notre Dame Cathedral! Just another day or two of work and the model of the FCC sanctuary and tower will have its plywood walls applied and be ready for the painters to begin painting on all the stones, windows, doors and roofing slates. Yeah!

A special thanks to Alan Berry, who not only drew up the “to scale” plans for the float, but also cut almost every piece of the complicated structure. Many thanks to our Construction Team, including Alan, Jim Sapp, Chuck Ramos, Ron Gamon, John Tyler, Caroline and Robert Jacobus, Paul Temple and Roger Dubord. Thanks also to Jim and Caroline who have procured all the needed materials for the float and decorations as well as the truck and trailer to pull it. If I have missed anyone, please forgive me.

Plus, a special thanks to our sponsors, ELJ Construction Supplies, who are providing us with a driver, truck and flatbed trailer on July 4th, and Hill House Graphics who donated their design time to improve our church banners.