Stolen chairs won't ruin holiday spirit for Dunwoody parade regular
Dunwoody woman's parade chairs stolen ahead of 4th of July
A Dunwoody woman is speaking out after her family's lawn chairs were stolen from their usual spot ahead of the city's 50th annual Fourth of July parade.
DUNWOODY, Ga. - A Dunwoody woman says her family had to purchase new lawn chairs after she says someone stole their original set from their viewing spot along Mount Vernon Road ahead of the annual Fourth of July parade.
Chairs stolen from parade route
What we know:
Betty Fendrick placed chairs along Mount Vernon Road near Vernon Oaks Way to save a viewing spot for her family ahead of the annual Fourth of July parade. Fendrick noted that the chairs belonged to her daughter and son-in-law.
About a day later, she discovered the chairs had been taken. Afterward, Fendrick placed a sign on top of an umbrella at the site that read, "A creepy person stole my kid's chairs," and described the theft as a "totally unpatriotic event."
Despite other chairs remaining untouched along the street for days, Fendrick and her family purchased replacement chairs ahead of the upcoming festivities.
What we don't know:
Officials have not confirmed who took the lawn chairs from the parade route.
Dunwoody police stated that they have not received any official reports of theft occurring along the stretch of the parade route.
Fendrick confirmed that she did not file an official police report regarding the missing items.
Event route preparations
The backstory:
The Dunwoody Fourth of July parade is a major regional tradition, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
City officials claim the event is the largest parade in Georgia.
Residents traditionally place their chairs and equipment out early along Mount Vernon Road to reserve spaces before crowds arrive.
What they're saying:
Local resident Cy Wang dropped off his own chairs on Friday and noticed the early rush.
"People haven't been putting in their chairs out this early typically, but I think it's because it's the 250th anniversary that people want to get a good seat," Wang said.
He added that a good seating location requires strategy.
"If you want to put your chairs out, you don't want the chairs getting run over by cars, and you want to put them in the shade," Wang said. "You find someone who has a really nice front yard that has big trees."
Fendrick emphasized that the neighborhood remains tight-knit despite the incident.
"I think in Dunwoody, we're like a bedroom community. We're very community-oriented, and evidently, we're very patriotic," she said.
Fendrick stated that the setback will not ruin her experience, adding that she is "just grateful to be in a country where we can live the way we live."
4th of July celebrations
What's next:
The celebratory parade is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. on Saturday.
Spectators have already set up tables, tents, and personalized, labeled chairs to lock down their viewing areas.
Attendees plan to arrive at their secured locations early in the morning before the street fills up.
The Source: FOX 5's Rey Llerena spoke with Betty Frendrick about her missing chairs, along with city resident Cy Wang, and city officials.