(Photo by JEFFREY HASTINGS) A state police bomb squad member dressed in protective gear scopes out the cab of this box truck that concerned police because it had no markings and was parked in the middle of the area where the Queen City Pride festival was to take place Saturday. The truck was eventually deemed safe and the parade and festival went on as planned.

MANCHESTER — Saturday’s Queen City Pride Parade and the accompanying festival at Arms Park went off as planned, despite an evacuation order issued around 9 a.m. after police deemed a suspicious looking box truck a potential safety threat.

Festival vendors were in the process of setting up their tents and trade show booths when police began asking everyone to evacuate the area.

Authorities said police became increasingly concerned about the large box truck, which was parked in the middle of the parking lot where the festival was to take place.

Adding to the suspicious nature of the vehicle is the fact it had no markings indicating who it belongs to, and it was also devoid of any Department of Transportation markings.

Police Chief Allen Aldenberg confirmed that police believed the truck was suspicious, based on where it was parked, and the number of participants expected at the planned event.

As police cordoned off the area and blocked off streets as a precaution, members of the state police Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) unit arrived to assist Manchester police.

The EOD members put on protective gear, approached the truck and examined it for close to an hour.

At that point the truck was deemed safe, and police called Performance Towing to have it towed away.

Police will continue their investigation into the incident, including locating the owner and determining why it was parked at the event.

–JEFFREY HASTINGS