Pawtuxet Rangers gear up for Bristol Fourth of July Parade

June 7, 2019 6:01 pm

By: Amanda Pitts

alpitts@abc6.com

@APittsABC6

WARWICK, R.I. (WLNE) – It’s Fourth of July season in Bristol, and the Pawtuxet Rangers are part of what makes the celebration special each year.

The Rangers have quite a long history in Pawtuxet Village. The militia group, founded in 1774, is among the oldest existing chartered commands in the country.

“Rangers for the community back then were protection. They were the guards here to make sure nothing happened. The British were starting to make incursions up and down Narragansett Bay, and the village needed protection to make sure that the Brits didn’t cause any trouble here in the village,” said Col. Ron Barnes.

Today, they’re carrying on that legacy from Armory Hall in Warwick. Instead of protecting the village, they’re out in the community, teaching people about their past.

“Our mission is to perpetuate the history, and it’s also to provide community service.”

The group of around 60 men and woman clean up local cemeteries, visit schools and attend political inaugurations. Their biggest role, of course, is the parades.

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Commanding Officer Colonel Ron Barnes has been suiting up with the rangers for 32 years.

“I’ve marched a lot of parade miles in that time, I’ve been to a lot of battle reenactments, encampments.”

One of his favorite gigs is Bristol’s Fourth of July Parade.

“How more patriotic can you get than the oldest Fourth of July parade in the country? It’s the ultimate apex of patriotic feelings throughout the year.”

Barnes said he wishes Americans were patriotic throughout the whole year, and that’s what the Rangers are here to remind us.

“More and more we see history’s not perpetuated, it ends at certain points, and history is where we all came from. We want to keep the history going, and it should be something that everybody respects, enjoys and learns from.”

The Rangers will be leading the Gaspee Days Parade on Saturday in Pawtuxet Village.