Flag Day ceremony kicks off Bristol 4th of July festivities

Bristol's 227th Fourth of July celebration is officially underway.

     It kicked off Thursday with a Flag Day ceremony on the town common. The Chief Marshal of the parade, Tony Texeira, was introduced to the people of Bristol. The ceremony is more than a month of concerts, competitions and patriotic tributes, ending with the Bristol Fourth of July Parade.

     “We have a couple of nice surprises.  We'll have a medal of honor winner in the parade, and we're going to have Miss U.S.A in the parade,” said Dick Devault, chairman of the Parade Committee.

     It takes a committee of 124 people nearly a year to work on the celebration, which is expected to bring out 100,000 people.

     You can watch the the 227th Bristol 4th of July Parade, presented by Alex and Ani, right here on ABC6 Wednesday, July 4th, beginning at 10:30 a.m.