Charles City wraps up four days of Independence Day events

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

The second half of a four-day Fourth of July celebration went off without a hitch as the Charles City community enjoyed music, games, food and fireworks across Friday and Saturday.

After two days of events on Wednesday and Thursday, the fun continued on Friday, July 5, with the first successfully scheduled Party in the Park of this year.

Organized by Main Street Charles City, Party in the Park had a rough time getting started this summer as the first two scheduled events were postponed by stormy weather.

But while dark clouds passed overhead, the rain stayed away on Friday, allowing the community to congregate at Central Park for an evening featuring live music from Mike Bernard & the Midwest Made.

Along with the music, the Floyd County Museum brought out an antique tractor for display as kids in pedal car racers lapped around Jackson Street, took rides in the barrel train and enjoyed a variety of free games and activities.

For dinner options there was plenty to choose from as a wide selection of food trucks set up at the park to offer a variety of flavors from around the world.

“We had some great food choices,” said Community Development Director Mark Wicks. “I had good comments on everybody.”

The nice weather held out into the night, with people lining up along the Cedar River to watch the fireworks display, which had been postponed from Thursday night due to sudden storms threatening the setup.

“It was the right call to postpone,” said Wicks. “It would have wrecked the show.”

Instead, the show launched from the Main Street Bridge on Friday, lighting up the night with an explosive display safely unhindered by the rain.

Finally, on Saturday, the festivities wound down to a close as the Chamber of Commerce put on one last day of celebration, kicking off early in the morning with the Charles City Bicycle Ride.

Later in the afternoon, kids gathered back at the park to enjoy a magic show by Eric Michaels, followed by a cornhole tournament and live music from BPM that went into the late evening.

The Saturday event marked the end of four consecutive days for the community to get out on the town and enjoy the company of their neighbors with food and music.

“It was a tough four days, but we were thrilled to get them in,” said Wicks.

Organized between Main Street Charles City and the Chamber of Commerce, Wicks said he is grateful for the sponsors and volunteers that made everything possible with contributions of time and money. From Daniels Auto Collision and Tynan’s Recycling, which provided Wednesday’s inflatables, to the more than 50 area businesses and private donations that contributed to the fireworks show, community support is crucial for putting on an event of this scale, he said.

“That allows us to spend our money on other activities,” said Wicks.

Likewise, the volunteers that dedicated their time to setting up and manning booths were necessary to making sure things ran smoothly.

“We can’t do this without community support like that,” said Wicks.

While this week of events is over, July will continue to bustle with a full schedule of weekend events throughout the month.

The first rescheduled Party in the Park will be held on Friday, July 12, with music provided by Deja Blue.

The Party in the Park rescheduling will take a week off during the Floyd County Fair week, then the second rescheduled event will be held on Friday, July 26, and will feature a special musical guest as Endless Edition, featuring Charles City’s own Gene Parson, will play at the park.