It's unclear why Sedalia's yearly Independence Day festivities stopped sometime in the 1980s, and it took a few determined citizens to realize the town was missing something last year.

"I went to mayor Wasson and said, 'mayor, could we go back like we used to do, about 30 years ago?'," parade Grand Marshal Terry Cockrell said. "He said, 'what do you mean?' and I said, 'basically, let's do an old-fashioned Fourth of July celebration.'"

With little help from the outside, the handful of citizens started planning the event's renaissance.

Assistant Grand Marshal Joe Zaremba said the parade used to be a natural part of the town's tradition.

"Back in the day, they had a lot of organization to it, a lot of funding, and everybody just came together," Zaremba said. "It was, it was pretty much mandatory that they were going to have a parade."

Cockrell and Zaremba went to work bringing back the parade and throwing in extra family fun this year. At the "old-fashioned" celebration, there was a line for the free barbecue at Liberty Park, classic cars, popcorn, fishing, and a tribute to military servicemen.

"I'd like to see every veteran in this area come down to the parade today," city council member Bob Cross said. "There were a lot of veterans in the parade, but I'd like to see them all down here, even wearing their uniforms."

Many residents turned out to celebrate.

"And, I really like to see some, you know, the folks, especially a private individual, going the extra mile to do something like this," Sedalia resident Mary Cope said.

Cockrell and Zaremba said they've put in countless hours planning the celebration. Already, they say, they're thinking of next year's Fourth of July.