BY DOUG HARLOW

Staff Writer

WEST ATHENS -- The spirit of independence rides again along the Valley Road on Saturday with the 36th annual Fourth of July parade and drama presentation in the Gravel Pit Theater.

A parade of zany floats, painted faces and motorcycles is scheduled to assemble at the corner of Chapman Ridge and Valley roads in West Athens village at 11 a.m.

The parade will start at noon, concluding at the gravel pit.

The Independence Day celebration in West Athens was first presented more than 35 years ago by back-to-the-land hippies bent on observing America's birthday in a less traditional way, usually with spoofs and send-ups of national and local leaders.

Valley Road and Chapman Ridge Road will be closed to through traffic between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Spectators are encouraged to walk to the parade site.

All-terrain vehicles and cars or trucks that are not floats in the parade will be discouraged from driving on the parade route to avoid traffic jams and for safety reasons.

Event organizer Anna Freeman of West Athens said precautions are again advised as the crowds get larger every year.

"The parade takes place with the usual sense of individual freedom as well as cautionary steps against underage drinking and rowdy behavior," Freeman said.

Alcoholic beverages and open containers are discouraged and cars should be parked as far away as possible from the village corner to not obstruct emergency traffic and the parade route, Freeman said.

Organizers are asking parade participants to make floats or march with flags and banners representing their individual causes.

Central Maine Samba is expected to march in the parade again this year and dancers are needed, organizer Janice Erickson said.

"Hail all West Athens Fourth of July parade-goers all," Erickson said in an announcement. "Music makers and movers please come, bring an instrument, learn a part, learn a couple moves, wear a costume, shake that body."

Samba rehearsal is set to begin at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in the village center.

Also slated for the big parade is the "I Miss America Pageant" sponsored by the antiwar group Code Pink.

Attire is strictly beauty-pageant appropriate, Maine Code Pink organizer Lisa Savage of Solon said.

"We will all have a sash with a favorite, be she 'I Miss Habeas Corpus' or 'Miss Represented' or your choice -- sash can be made at the parade or bring one along," Savage said. "Pink net tutus and tiaras will also be available."

The Code Pink procession will be led by "I Miss America" and Abu Barbie. "Miss Used Funds" will escort an inflated Uncle Sam with a "huge sack o' bailout cash," Savage said.

This year's In Spite of Life Players performance in the Gravel Pit is called "Monopoly Survivor -- Manhattan Island," with satiric emphasis on corporate greed and the grim fate of the "hardly working poor" who are destined to land on the corner of Eviction and Foreclosure.

Among the players are Pig Dog, Miss Piggy, Todd Palin, the Duodecimo Mom, the Grim Repo Man, Obamarama, and topless caterers.

Freeman said organizers are looking for help with the sound system for the play this year. Extras also are needed to play the Survivor Monopoly game in the play, she said.

Doug Harlow -- 474-9534, ext. 342

dharlow@centralmaine.com