June 25, 2025 By Carol Britton Meyer
Longtime Fourth of July Committee member Jim Murphy — who is stepping down this year after 18 years in this role — says he “especially liked creating an event that makes people happy.”
Murphy — who has chaired the committee for 15 years — and committee member Pat Kirk co-chaired this year’s event, with Kirk assuming the role of chair moving forward.
“Adding a New Orleans-style band to the end of the parade in front of the parade committee is one example of finding ways” to please the crowd, Murphy told the Hingham Anchor.
“I love to watch the spectators react to the sounds of the Good Trouble Brass Band (formerly the Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band),” he said. “Everyone starts to sway and groove to the music.”
The enthusiastic response of spectators is Murphy’s reward every year for the time and effort needed “to successfully raise the suitable funds and organize an appropriate celebratory parade for the Town of Hingham,” in accordance with the mission of the parade committee, created by the Hingham Selectmen prior to the 1992 Parade.
The idea of parade buttons originated that same year for that purpose.
“I’ve had so many wonderful fellow committee members with me over the years,” Murphy said. “Some just stayed for a single year but managed to create an idea that changed the committee or enhanced what we were already doing (such as creating the 50 Flags Campaign logo), while others have stayed with the committee for more than a decade.”
Committee expands in 2010
In 2010, the size of the committee was doubled in anticipation of the celebration of Hingham’s 375th Anniversary.
“We knew that was going to be a blockbuster event!” Murphy recalled.
During his 15 years as chair of the parade committee, he has “really enjoyed empowering members to come up with new ideas to improve the parade with new performers or grow our fundraising or increase parade safety.”
When selecting a grand marshal, “if there is a committee member who has a relationship with them, I’ve asked that member to inform them of the honor,” Murphy said. “I think finding out this way means more to the grand marshal, and I think it’s also a reward to the committee members for their volunteer work.”
Murphy shared some of the highlights that occurred during his years on the committee — from creating a parade logo for increased branding and instituting mandatory wheel-walkers for every float to help protect children along the parade route to adding a Veteran of the Year as an annual parade honoree to the creation of the 50 Flags Campaign in 2012 as the largest parade fundraiser.
The campaign starting with 300 flags and expanded to a more than 20,000 flag inventory. “The campaign was grown and developed by committee member Tom Hoffman,” Murphy explained.
Large bands join the parade
During his time as chair, large bands were brought in from around New England and beyond; the button design contest was formalized for easier understanding by students; a keepsake gift was created and donated by Aisling Gallery for each winning button designer; and parade committee social media platforms developed.
A key accomplishment was organizing a full parade in 2021 despite then-Governor Gary Baker granting approval for public events only 60 days before the Fourth of July due to the pandemic.
Other highlights include developing strong relationships with Harbor Media and the Hingham Anchor for media content and public messaging, organizing “day of” logistics for greater safety and less confusion for participants, and increased parade button and swag sales approaching $15,000 a year.
“We also built the parade committee’s account up to an amount that would pay for one parade without fundraising,” according to Murphy.
Parade is self-funded; no tax dollars spent
“The committee continues to spread the word that the parade is self-funded, and we have to pay for the performers,” Murphy said. No tax dollars go toward the parade.
The one sad highlight that occurred during his watch was saying goodbye to the popular Crow Point Marching Kazoo Band.
“My wife and I were proud members (even leaders, affectionately designated as Blockheads) of this band from the time we moved to Crow Point in 1992 until its last Fourth of July performance in 2013,” Murphy recalled.
One of seven children, Murphy has many family members attending the parade this year who live in Massachusetts, as well as the Baltimore and D.C. areas. “Almost all of them have never attended the parade, and a few siblings will be float judges before the parade,” he said. “I told them they would get a great taste of the organization involved to see the various staging areas at the high school and the sheer number of participants in one area.”
Parade committee members, the Hingham Anchor, and the entire community thank Jim for his efforts over the years to help make each year’s parade even better than the last one, and we wish him the best.