Plenty of fun on the Fourth
About the only way North Idaho locals could miss a fireworks show this weekend is by hiding in a basement with a blindfold on.
Thousands of dollars worth of fireworks will go up in smoke this Independence Day weekend as communities from Spirit Lake to Coeur d’Alene wow crowds with spectacular displays. With the official holiday falling on Monday, some towns are starting the celebration early, providing four solid days of festivities to choose from.
The town of Bayview kicks off its annual event today, with about 45 arts and crafts booths on Main Street from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Bayview Daze continues Saturday with a street parade at 11 a.m. Like most small-town parades, the Bayview Daze parade has no entry fees and anyone is welcome to participate. There will be games for children at Bayview Park from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., a lighted boat parade in the evening and a fireworks show over Lake Pend Oreille at dusk, around 10 p.m. The street fair continues through 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
Today is also the beginning of Coeur d’Alene’s celebration, with the annual Kiddie Parade sponsored by the Coeur d’Alene Recreation Department. Any children can participate simply by showing up at 10th and Sherman at 9:30 a.m. The parade begins at 10 and goes down Sherman Avenue to Independence Point.
Awards will be given in four categories: Wheels, floats, costumes and pets. This year’s theme is “A Tribute to Dr. Seuss.”
A parent with savvy scheduling could put their little ones in the Kiddie Parade on Friday, Bayview Daze on Saturday and, after a break on Sunday, the Spirit Lake parade on Monday.
The Spirit Lake parade, part of the town’s Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration, is the town’s second-shortest parade. At six blocks, it’s an entire four blocks longer than the Spirit Lake Labor Day parade, according to Joy Porter of the Spirit Lake Visions organization.
“If you get up in the morning and decide it looks like it’s a good day to be in a parade, well, we’ll be looking for you,” Porter said. Just show up behind Spirit Lake Elementary between 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., she said.
The parade begins at 11 and kicks off a full day of events, including games, arts and crafts booths, raffles and food at the City Park. Musicians Tom and Carol Griffith will play country and gospel music and host a jam session. A fireworks display begins at dusk at the baseball field on East Jefferson Street.
Porter said Spirit Lake Visions, a community group dedicated to “a better Spirit Lake,” is lighting off $2,500 worth of fireworks. They have raised about $1,500 of the $2,500 so far, she said.
Among the area’s other Fourth of July celebrations:
“Coeur d’Alene’s American Heroes parade down Sherman Avenue begins at 11 a.m. Monday. Brenda Young, events manager for the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce, said there are 90 entries in the parade, which is expected to last an hour and a half. Coeur d’Alene Police Officer Michael Kralicek, wounded in the line of duty, is the parade’s grand marshal.
Pre-parade entertainment is planned, including a military flyover and a “backward parade” featuring some minifloats and “the bucket brigade,” a group of volunteers collecting money for the evening’s fireworks display. Young said the chamber is still short of its $25,000 goal to fund the 20-minute show.
Live entertainment is planned from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. in City Park, and at dusk the fireworks show over Lake Coeur d’Alene will begin. Food and craft vendors will be in City Park all day.
“The Coeur d’Alene Casino in Worley has fireworks shows planned for 10 p.m. Sunday and Monday, each lasting about 40 minutes. Spectators can watch from the parking lot and lawns of the casino and neighboring Resort Hotel.
“StateLine Speedway’s Giant Demolition Derby and Fireworks Extravaganza begins at 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Advance tickets are available at Les Schwab Tire Center in Post Falls. Speedway owner Joe Doellefeld said the annual event has been a tradition at the racetrack for 15 years.
“Sandpoint will have a parade at 10 a.m. Monday, followed by a daylong carnival at City Beach and entertainment. A fireworks show begins at dusk, sponsored by the Sandpoint Lions Club.
“Fireworks shows are planned for Monday evening at Ellisport Bay in Hope and in the neighboring town of Clark Fork.
“Silverwood Theme Park will have a fireworks display at 9:30 p.m. Monday.
“Harrison, on the eastern shore of the Lake Coeur d’Alene, will have a fireworks show on the Fourth at dusk.