Parade anchors the Fourth
Saturday night concert will lead up to traditional celebration
by Tom Coombe
An extended Fourth of July weekend is already underway and revs up at Whiteside Park Saturday night - all leading to Tuesday’s grand finale.
Ely’s traditional Independence Day celebration is a familiar affair, full of the usual events including a parade and fireworks as well as a few more recent twists.
But before Tuesday’s festivities, Ely will celebrate a bit early with the second annual “Rock the Park.”
Two musical acts will perform at Whiteside Park from 5 to 11 p.m.
The lineup matches the inaugural event, which proved to be a hit and drew hundreds of people - of all ages - to the city park.
Steve Ernster, a Nashville artist, leads off at 5 p.m., while The Northwood’s Band follows at 7 p.m.
Admission to the park requires a Rock the Park button and the event includes not only two musical acts but food and beverages - with several food trucks slated to be at the park as well as beverage service from Ely’s Fire Relief Association.
Prior to the Fourth, Ely’s Little League Baseball organization has a fun night planned at the field, a baseball carnival of sorts, on Monday. It leads up to an all-star game at 7 p.m.
What follows is a full day of activity Tuesday, with the parade set to begin at 1 p.m.
Ely’s parade generally attracts thousands to the city streets and well over 100 entrants and this year should be no exception. Given decades of history, Ely’s sidewalks will be full and it’s not uncommon for hundreds of lawnchairs to be placed the night before at favorite parade-watching locations.
Lineup starts at 10 a.m. on Fourth Avenue East between Harvey and Boundary streets, and float judging begins at11 a.m.
Prizes will be awarded in both commercial and non-commercial categories, as well as for bikes/trikes, individual and group costumes and wagons.
The Ely Honor Guard will be leading the parade, along with area veterans who will be in a military truck.
While neither Ely nor Northeast Range will have a high school band in this year’s parade, there will be music nonetheless with the Ely Klown Band as well as both the Mesabi East and Rock Ridge high school bands.
Entities including Veterans on the Lake and Fight for Mining Minnesota are
among those with floats, and the Shriners are back with the AAD Shrine Dune Buggy Patrol.
Longtime parade organizer Casey Velcheff said political entries are down given that it’s not an election year, although U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber (R) will be in the parade as well as at least one candidate in the upcoming Lake County board race.
Same-day entries are accepted for the parade, and those wishing to take part are invited to go to the lineup area on Monday.
Several food trucks will be set up near the parade route on Monday, and Ely area residents should look to the sky at approximately 11:45 a.m.
The Bulldogs of the 148th Fighter Wing, the Duluth-based Air National Guard wing, will conduct an F-16 fly over. Attendees can expect to see two F-16s conduct a single pass at approximately 1,000 feet, traveling from west to east.
The annual “Four on the Fourth” race around the Trezona Trail (8 a.m.) and a ceremonial flag raising at 10 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial highlight the morning events.
The park serves as a hub of activity throughout the day, with Ely’s YoungLife group putting on games, races and other fun events, along with a full slate of food and beverage offerings.
After the parade, Semers Park is the venue for several hours of events, with several musical acts performing at a family-friendly event that runs until 9 p.m. Ely’s city band, meanwhile, has a 6 p.m. performance at the park bandshell.
In what has become an Ely tradition, people will gather at the St. Anthony’s parking lot, along Pioneer Road and other great vantage points to see the fireworks display. It usually begins around 10 p.m.
