Carving out a niche at Milton Mills 4th of July parade

John Bodwell of Milton Mills awaits the start of Milton Mills' Fourth of July parade on Monday. (Lebanon Voice photo)

MILTON MILLS - It was a picture-perfect day for patriotism and a parade, and a freedom train built by John Bodwell.

Bodwell, who lives on Jug Hill in Milton Mills, crafted his float featuring carved busts of the four presidents chiseled in granite on Mount Rushmore over a year's time.

He doesn't take credit for the carved busts (they were done by a Rochester man who has since passed), but everything else is by his own hands, from the mounted bell and whistle to the intricate carvings that festoon the float from front to back.

This is Bodwell's second time pulling the float in the Milton Mills 4^th of July parade, and the 84-year-old said on Monday he has plans to build another one similar to the one he's already built, only better, he said. Before entering the floats, he had walked in parade for years.

Bodwell, who served in the Korean War in 1950 and has lived in Milton Mills for 61 years, does a lot of carvings in his spare time, like roosters and other lawn ornaments that are mounted on posts and turn with the wind.

If anyone would like purchase any of Bodwell's wind carvings you can call him at 603.473.2013.