A slice of Americana was served last weekend, and it was delicious. Ely’s Fourth of July weekend was filled with red, white and blue, along with plenty to see and do.
While there were rumblings of the weather interfering with Friday’s activities, the morning and afternoon were unaffected. From the “Four on the 4th” run on the Trezona Trail to the Raising of the Flag Ceremony to YoungLife’s carnival in Whiteside Park to Minnesota’s best parade, it all went swimmingly. There was even a flyover with two F-16 jets providing the sound of freedom overhead.
There can’t be many reading this who haven’t taken in Ely’s parade. The route is jam-packed with folks on both sides of the street. Heck, chairs are put out the day before along the parade route to save spots for people to sit. The line-up for the parade fills block after block with veterans, kids, candy and even a logging truck plus the crowd favorites, the Ely Klown Band and the multiple Zup’s trucks and trailers filled with goodies to be handed out.
After the parade Whiteside Park filled up with games for the kids, music and food aplenty. There was live music at Semers Park as well. The only hiccup was having to push the fireworks back to Saturday night, and even that was a success.
The fourth Rock the Park event kicked off at 4 p.m. Saturday, including a boatload of events for kids from bouncy houses to a sawdust pile to scavenger hunts. And when 10 p.m. rolled around, the fireworks could be seen from Whiteside Park as they were shot off over the east end of Miners Lake.
Thanks to everyone who made Ely’s Fourth and Fifth a fantastic extravaganza!
