Everyone needs to experience an Ely Fourth of July.
No less than gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar indicates as much this week, when in a social media video she said of the Ely parade, “This is a parade everyone should see once in their life.”
We wholeheartedly agree with the Senator, who of course has Ely roots, and we’d go so far as to say that extends to the whole Fourth of July weekend experience in our town.
Rock The Park has become a stand-alone event in its own right, with 1,500 people of all ages taking in this year’s concerts and all the associated fun. Who doesn’t enjoy food trucks, beer tents, inflatable bounce houses and a good ol’ fashioned sawdust pile after all?
The Fourth in Ely starts early with the Four on the Fourth race around the Trezona, and the nearby flag-raising was solemn and emotional, with the story of Elyite Rico Mondati’s uncle, James Mondati, a World War II veteran who was captured and taken part in the Bataan Death March. His remains will soon be returned to Ely and he can finally be put to rest at home, more than 60 years after he left town to serve his nation.
The centerpiece of Ely’s Fourth of July celebration is, of course, the parade, and once again we had it all.
There were high school bands and the one and only Ely Klown Band, who even had an encore performance at Zaverl’s after the parade.
The parade had veterans and kids, classic cars and floats and a few politicians including Klobuchar.
And to top it off, no Ely parade would be complete without Zup’s Food Market and all of the goodies, the boxes and boxes of stuff which this year included pretzels and plungers.
A fringe benefit of an Ely parade is that those who think ahead to bring a bag can walk home with candy, snacks and even a few grocery items.
Whiteside Park is home to fun, games and food on the Fourth and a there is also the concert after the parade at Semers Park. That too is well attended and provides a picturesque setting, combining music and beach time on what - at least this year - was a picture-perfect Fourth.
The grand finale of course are the fireworks and once again they didn’t disappoint, treating the thousands who gathered at viewing points ranging from near the Trezona Trail to the Catholic Church parking lot to the area near the Grand Ely Lodge.
After they were done, there was the annual traffic jam on that end of town.
One can drive through many a city on July 4 and it would not appear that it was anything other than a typical day.
That’s not the case in Ely, with its thousands of chairs out for the parade and the throngs who turn out to celebrate America.
Great job, Ely, and we’ll see you all again next year.
