Charles City Fourth of July enjoys a sunny start, but gets a rainy end

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

Charles City celebrated Independence Day with an event packed long weekend of parties, games, parades and entertainment.

The fun kicked off on Friday with Party in the Park where BTDT played through the evening. Outside of the park, the Charles City High School Drama Alumni held a reunion at the library ahead of the Stony Point Players opening of “Beauty and the Beast” at the Charles Theatre.

Saturday started off with some outdoor activities as riders got up bright and early for the Charles City Bike Ride. Meanwhile, over at Lions Field, a 6th grade baseball tournament kept the kids busy for the morning.

Sports continued on Sunday morning with Firecracker Classic Disc Golf at Sportsman’s Park, along with a 4th grade baseball tournament. Also in the morning, the Ron Turner Memorial Golf Tournament was held at the Cedar Ridge Golf Course.

Following the matinee showing of “Beauty and the Beast,” the community was invited to enjoy Chamber Bingo at the Columbus Club.

While the weekend ended, the fun was just getting started. Monday kicked off Kids Day at Central Park as Soifer Family McDonalds and First Citizens Bank sponsored a morning parade for Charles City’s youngest. Kids of all ages decorated bikes, wagons, scooters and more in American flags and red, white and blue colors to show off their patriotism.

Winning the “Most Colorful” award was Lilee and Levi Hottovy, for their brightly colored wagon. Kinsey Howard was rated “Most Patriotic” with her own wagon decked out with tassels. Finally, Orlando Schmidt won “Best Décor,” for his flag-adorned Gator.

All the winners got to have their picture taken with the Hamburglar, Birdie and Community Policing Officer Duane Ollendick.

Soifer Family McDonalds gave out roughly 525 goodie bags during the parade and sold out of 1,000 hamburger meals in less than half an hour.

“We’re always thankful for the community partners that step up to help us put this on,” said Soifer’s marketing supervisor Emily Garden.

After the parade, the kids enjoyed a presentation from the Blank Park Zoo where animal ambassador Neko brought out a live ball python and box turtle to show the kids while teaching them about different kinds of animals.

The rest the afternoon was enjoyed with DJ Tad providing music as the park was packed with inflatables, games and food vendors.

As the evening rolled in, a Sand Volleyball Tournament began in the Chamber Parking Lot. Sponsored by Daniels Auto-Collision, with sand provided by R&H Lawn Care, the tournament featured four teams of six, batting volleyballs until late into the night as the competitors vied for the prize.

“We just played,” said Marissa Daniels, who also organized the event. “We had to bring out some lights, but it all turned out good.”

On the other side of the park, the Bad Dog band played throughout the evening, briefly taking a break as six men put their stomachs to the test with a hotdog eating contest.

Returning champion Jon Shannon made a valiant effort to defend his title, but ultimately tied for second with Brett Kelly, consuming nine hot dogs each.

Taking home the win, and the man to beat next year, was Scott Galliart, who dominated the contest by finishing off 13 hot dogs and water-soaked buns.

Finally, on Tuesday, July 4, freedom rang as Independence Day started in earnest.

The day got off to a running start with a Firecracker 5K race and kids run at the high school.

Meanwhile, more than 80 emergency vehicles, tractors, classic cars, walking units and floats lined up for the Independence Day Parade.

Eager community members staked out their seats along Main Street as early as the day before to make sure they secured a good spot to watch the parade roll down Main Street and around North Jackson.

Competing for best display, CDI LLC was recognized for the Best Commercial/Business Entry of the parade. ABATE District 17 won Best Organization/Non-Profit Group Entry. SEW That! was awarded for Best Open Class. Christopher Anthony/Masterson Staffing Solutions was recognized for Best Antique Vehicle.

Dairy Queen’s entry caught the eye of Mayor Dean Andrews for the Mayor’s Choice Award. And Pure Prairie Poultry received the Chamber Choice Award.

After the parade, food vendors set up back in Central Park, where Southland Band played throughout the afternoon.

HyVee brought out a taste of summer, sponsoring a watermelon eating contest for kids, teens and adults.

In the kids category, Isaac Putney walked away with the first place prize, followed by Lydia Freiberg in second place and honorable mentions going to Joshua Trettan and Ellie Freiberg.

In the teen division, Isaac Sapp’s “chicken peck” technique earned him the first place prize, with Julian Gonzalez coming in second.

And in the adult contest, Cecilia Brooks showed off her speed, racing to a first place finish, with Srina Ekkurthi placing second.

With no shortage of activities and food to enjoy, the Charles City community packed the park to take in holiday atmosphere.

“It’s a great day,” said Mayor Dean Andrews. “We’ve had good crowds for most of the events and everybody is having a good time.”

Unfortunately, as the evening rolled on Tuesday, so did the thunderclouds.

As the weather turned, the Charles City Municipal Band’s outdoor concert was moved inside to Trinity United Methodist Church. Even so more than 150 people turned out to enjoy an hour of marches and other patriotic music.

An indoor option wasn’t available for the Independence Day fireworks display, which was postponed until Saturday, July 8, extending the holiday a few more days before its official conclusion.