For parade’s grand marshal, tradition stretches back 60 years – Coastal Observer

For parade’s grand marshal, tradition stretches back 60 years – Coastal Observer

Rocky Holliday doesn’t remember the details about that Monday morning in 1966 when the first parade made its way down Myrtle Avenue on Pawleys Island. But one thing’s for sure. “I would have been celebrating the Fourth of July at Pawleys Island,” he said. Holliday stepped down at the end of last year after 10 years on Town Council. On Saturday, he will lead the 60th Pawleys Island Fourth of July Parade as grand marshal. “Rocky has done loads for the town,” Mayor Brian Henry said. He served on the Planning Commission before running for council. He chaired the beach committee the council formed to put together the renourishment project that was completed in 2020. He also led a pilot drainage project that set the town on the path toward the master drainage plan it completed last year. As mayor pro tem, “he was a sounding board for me,” Henry said. Holliday said the past grand marshals have all been long-time friends. “It’s an honor to be included in that group,” he said. His grandmother once owned five lots south of Pawleys Pier. The five houses were destroyed by Hurricane Hazel in 1954, Holliday said.  His parents always hosted a party on the Fourth of July. That’s a tradition Holliday maintained even when he was living overseas while working in the shipbuilding industry. “This was a very special place for my family,” he said. “Wherever we lived in the world, Pawleys was the place we came back to.” When they moved back to the U.S. in 2005, they built a house on a lot Holliday bought from his father. The parade was also part of the family tradition.  “My family typically would do a float,” Holliday said. “It’s been a lot of years since I’ve been in the parade.” The town has encouraged float decorations with prizes for the last 30 years, adding a registration fee and a free T-shirt. For the first half of its life the parade was a more casual affair. “Back in the day, the big thing was water balloons and hoses,” Holliday said. “It was hilarious.” He was a freshman at Winyah High School when the parade began. While he is looking forward to leading the 60th parade, he said he chided the mayor that “you really don’t get asked to do it until you’re older than dirt.”