Let the celebrating commence

BAYVIEW, Idaho – The Bayview Daze parade lasted a mere 15 minutes Saturday, but it packed plenty of patriotic fervor.

Soloist Suzy Orth sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” while the American Legion color guard marched down Main Avenue. Harley riders festooned their bikes in red, white and blue. Kids in flag shirts walked their dogs. The crowd cheered for the Disabled American Veterans, the Timberlake Little League and Bayview Postmistress Sue Thompson, whose float celebrated the 110th anniversary of the community’s post office.

So much candy was tossed to the spectators that adults ended up with pieces of saltwater taffy, too.

“It’s simple, hometown fun,” said Bernice Ellis.

Ellis, of Spokane, came to watch her 71-year-old dad, Arthur Hoener, march in the parade with the Athol VFW. Her aunt, her husband, John, and the couple’s three kids were also in the crowd of spectators.

“We’re very patriotic,” Ellis said. “We talk a lot about being American and the privileges we have.”

Bayview gets a head start on the Fourth of July, staging its annual parade, craft fair and fireworks show a few days before the nation’s birthday. During Bayview Daze, about 4,000 people visit the resort community on Lake Pend Oreille, which has a permanent population of about 300.

Louise Couper showed up with a clan of 20 close friends and relatives. They’re packing into two vacation cabins for the four-day weekend, pitching a few tents in the yard for extra room.

Bayview Daze is the epitome of “American Fourth of July, community stuff,” said Couper, a part-time Bayview resident. “This doesn’t happen to me in Spokane. … There’s a reason to stand up and salute.”

She and her friends donned red, white and blue hats for the parade, in styles ranging from jester hats to Statue of Liberty-inspired head gear.

Couper’s sister-in-law, Lisa Sacksteder, found the hats at Target 13 years ago. Wearing them to the parade has become an annual tradition.

“It celebrates what we have all year long,” Sacksteder said.

Sheila Bixenstein counts the Fourth of July as her favorite holiday. “It expresses our freedom,” said her husband, Frank.

The couple figured they had the best seats for the parade Saturday morning. They watched the activity from their front porch above Main Avenue, sipping toddies. In the distance, they tracked sailboats drifting lazily across the lake, occasionally picking up binoculars to get a closer glimpse.

“We have just about the most perfect spot,” Sheila Bixenstein said.

“And when the fireworks go off tonight, we’ll have front row seats,” her husband said.