Page 7 - AUG2025

August 2025 NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM Page 7 Community
Stars, Stripes, and Keegans: A Sparkling Fourth in Bristol
By Donna RhoDes
BRISTOL—This year, Bris- tol’s Fourth of July Parade theme was “Star, Stripes and Sparklers,” and Grand Marshals Tom and Lucille Keegan were among the many who made the parade truly sparkle.
Married for fifty-one years, many in the community have seen this couple volunteering their time on numerous commit- tees, boards, special projects, and town events.
Both Tom and Lucille are members of the Bristol Down- town Decorating Committee. Whether planting and maintain- ing flowers in the square or in- stalling holiday decorations, they are part of the small group of volunteers who make downtown Bristol a beautiful place to live, shop, and visit. When the com- mittee came up with the idea of the Scarecrows being displayed in the square, it was Tom who built all the wooden frames for families, groups, and businesses to build their scarecrows on each fall.
Tom has also been elected as a member of the Bristol Budget Committee and as a Cemetery Trustee. He has organized several of Bristol’s important Household Hazardous Waste Days each year while also lending his time to help out at the annual Bristol Old Home Day each August. Tom is a member of the N.H. Tree Farm Association’s Executive Board, as well, and as an Eagle Scout him- self, spent eight years as a Scout Leader for another generation of local scouts.
Lucille also manages to main- tain a full schedule of communi- ty-based involvement. She serves
on Bristol’s Historic District Commission and is the president of the Bristol Historical Society. For over ten years, she was an elected Trustee of Minot-Sleeper Library, served as the chair of the Bristol Events Committee, helped organize the annual Fourth of July parade, and took part in the Bristol Bicentennial Committee. In 2023, Lucille was also named the recipient of Bristol’s Com- munity Spirit Award, presented at Old Home Day each year.
In addition to all of that, she and Tom are involved in their church in various ways. Tom has served as a Trustee for over fif- teen years, while his wife has held many officer positions and served on several committees. She is also a musician with the church’s Joy- ful Noise Ukulele Band and sings with the Pemi Choral Society.
Locals may remember Lucille from their younger days, too. She earned a Master’s degree in Education and was a teacher for thirty-five years in the Newfound Area School District. Tom is
known for his poetic contribu-
Photo Donna Rhodes Lucille and Tom Keegan were this year’s Grand Marshals in the Fourth of
July parade, leading the way in an antique pick-up truck.
athletes from the local baseball teams.
Tapply Thompson Commu- nity Center had a large contin- gency of youth, activity leaders, camp counselors, and coaches in the parade. Antique cars, local businesses, farms, and scores of other community organizations also put on patriotic displays as they waved the Stars and Stripes at the crowds. Besides candy, flags, and sparklers tossed out to children along the way, even more fun goodies were distrib- uted from the red, white, and blue decorated shopping carts of Hannaford Supermarket. Clos- ing out the morning’s celebration were the local heroes from New Hampton, Alexandria, Bridge- water, Danbury, and Bristol Fire and EMS departments.
As residents, seasonal neigh- bors, and holiday visitors spent the long weekend enjoying boats, beaches, and barbecues, many also took time to gather at the foot of the lake for a spectacu- lar fireworks display on Saturday evening.
tions that have appeared in the Record Enterprise newspaper’s monthly “Story Page” column, along with his participation in the library’s poetry group.
This year’s Fourth of July pa- rade was just as impressive as the Keegan’s resumes, and the couple had the honor of leading all the floats and marching groups along the route.
After patriotic music had peo-
ple singing and dancing in the streets as they awaited the start of the parade, Bristol Police Of- ficer Michael Grier and his K-9 partner Maybel soon made their way up Pleasant Street, followed by Boy Scout Troop 50 and the Grand Marshals, who cruised along in an antique pick-up truck.
From there, the fun contin- ued with bicycles decked out in red, white, and blue, ponies, and
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