No one can say Boundary County, Idaho doesn't know how to put on an Independence Day celebration.
We had it all: multiple parades, a barbecue, family picnicking, games and competitions, train rides, multiple
musical
performances, stirring renditions of the
national anthem and God Bless America
and Stars and Stripes Forever, a lucky
winner of a raffled fund-raiser pistol, lots of
loud, a stirring speech by an Idaho legislator,
and one of the best fireworks displays in the
Northwest (if not further).The spotlight shown first on little Eastport, Idaho (population: gotta be less than 100), who has sponsored a parade every year recently. If you have never attended the Fourth of July Parade at Eastport, we might say it is a little different than the Bonners Ferry Parade. The Eastport Parade is--how shall this be said--a delightful combination of crazy / goofy / but marvelouly creative, that really works.
This year, for example, the Eastport Parade featured a boat, which happened to be filled with sailors armed and ready to cool off the crowd with their squirt guns (actually more like squirt cannons). Also in the parade were a coule of race cars, and a parade float adorned with a bear chasing a couple of kids. And more.
To get the full picture, make it a point to be at the Eastport Fourth of July Parade next year. Or, even better, come up with your own fun idea, and be in the Eastport Fourth of July Parade next year.
To further cement Eastport's enthusiasm for the Fourth of July, after the parade they had a large and well-attended community barbecue. No charge. Just come and bring a side dish. That's how things work in small towns in America on the Fourth of July, right?
Bonners Ferry then took over in the evening, opening with an a capella group singing several patriotic songs. Then, the parade was on, with columns of fire trucks, flashing lights, antique automobiles, our Distinguished Young Women, big beautiful 18 wheelers, cheerleaders, a rider on an antique bicycle, antique tractors, a train, and much more.
Check out the video of the Eastport and Bonners Ferry Fourth of July Parades put together by our companion website Boundary County Live. You can see it by clicking here.
After the Bonners Ferry parade, and after Rebecca Huseby had opened the evening's events at the Fairgrounds with her rendition of the National Anthem and an invocation, the fun began with competitions, and more musical presentations, including a piano performance of The Stars and Stripes Forever by Jeff Hunsaker, more singing from Ms. Huseby, and Pastor Len Pine singing God Bless America.
As the skies grew darker, one of our Idaho legislators, Heather Scott, who represents us in the Idaho House of Representatives, gave a speech to the assembled crowd, drawing a cheer when she pointed out the "the United States of America is the greatest country in the world!"
Next up, the fireworks. Many big cities would be hard pressed to top the display that Gary Leonard and his team puts together every year. This year, in commemoration of Boundary County's centennial year, there was a special addition to the fireworks' grand finale, as the number "100" lit up just as a huge column of spraying, bursting, streaming fireworks filled the air nearby.
Happy
Birthday, America! And this year, Happy
Birthday, Boundary County, Idaho, USA!-----------------
Take a look at our other Fourth of July story posted on NewsBF, Our July 4th celebration: the effort behind the scenes. You'll find it posted on our home page.