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July 4 festivities abound in Inyo |
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Thursday, 03 July 2008 |
 Lindsay McTevia will serve as the grand marshal for this years Independence Fourth of July Parade. File photo Register Staff 7-1-2008
Eastern Sierra residents from Independence to Bishop have a slew of activities to choose from this weekend in celebration of Independence Day.
Area civic groups, fire departments and local nonprofit clubs have organized everything from fun runs and community breakfasts to an arts and crafts fairs and, of course, the age-old tradition of gathering for fireworks displays.
INDEPENDENCE
Festivities will kick off in Independence as local musicians perform live in Dehy Park from 8 p.m. to midnight on Thursday, July 3, helping to kick off the Independence Day festivities by getting everyone to kick up their heels at Independence’s annual pre-July 4 dance.
Early on July 4, residents are invited to join the American Legion Post 265 as it starts Independence Day off with a patriotic flag raising and singing of the National Anthem at Dehy Park at 6:15 a.m.
Following the flag raising, the Lion’s Club will serve up its popular Pancake Breakfast at Dehy Park from 6:30-8:30 a.m., providing delicious fuel for a full day’s worth of fun in the sun.
For many residents in Independence the Fourth of July will get off to a running start with the annual 4K/10K Run/Walk, starting at East Inyo Street and U.S. 395. at 7 a.m. Sign-ups will be taken up to the day of the race beginning at 6:30 a.m.
Vendors from all over the county and state will open up their booths for the July 4 Arts & Crafts Show on the Courthouse Lawn at 9 a.m., and continue selling their various wares throughout the day.
One of the Main Events of Independence’s Independence Day events is the iconic July 4 Parade, which rolls down U.S. 395 at 10 a.m. The annual parade includes entries ranging from floats and marching units to costumed walkers and farming/working equipment.
Expect plenty of red, white and blue, as one of the rules of the parade is that at least one U.S. flag must be displayed on each entry. The theme this year is “The Sounds of Independence,” and the grand marshal is Independence resident Lindsay McTevia, a man chosen for the honor based on his years of dedication and contributions to the community.
Following the parade, the Fourth of July Celebration will return to Dehy Park where residents can fill up their tummies once more, courtesy the United Methodist Church Women’s Ice Cream and Homemade Pie Social at 1 p.m.
Once refueled for more action, youth will want to take part in a plethora of Old Time Kids’ Games beginning at 2 p.m. in the park. Youngsters will have the opportunity to win ribbons and prizes in wheelbarrow races, three-legged races, gunny sack races and a balloon toss. After the kids’ games everyone is invited to take part in, or just watch, the famous Independence Frog Jumping Contest, which gives prizes and bragging rights in categories such as Longest Jump, Most Beautiful Frog and Ugliest Frog.
As festivities begin to wind down in the park, the Independence Civic Club offers up more grub with its mouth-watering Deep Pit barbecue at Dehy Park from 4-6:30 p.m. which will include barbecue beef, beans, bread and drinks.
Capping off a full day of fun in Independence will be the main event, the Cal Coffman Memorial Fireworks Show at the Independence Airport at dusk. Families will grab their lawn chairs and blankets and head out to the tarmac for an exhilarating pyrotechnics display put on by the hardworking men and women of the Independence Volunteer Fire Department.
A generous grant from the Inyo County Advertising County Resources program will help offset the department’s costs this year.
BIG PINE
Farther north, Big Pine also has a fun day of Fourth of July activities scheduled for residents and visitors.
Start the day off in Big Pine with a hearty breakfast being served up from 7-10 a.m. at Mendenhall Park, located off of U.S. 395 as you come into Big Pine from the north. Touted by one committee member as “a breakfast you can’t believe,” the spread will include eggs, sausage, pancakes, a variety of yogurts and muffins, fresh fruit, coffee, water and fruit juices for just $5/per perrson.
For those wanting to check out Big Pine’s breathtaking scenery and get in some heart-healthy exercise, the Big Pine Volunteer Fire Department’s annual 5K/10K leaves Mendenhall Park at 7 a.m. The 5K, a road-run-style race, takes runners up Scott Hill, along County Road and back to the park by about 8:30-9 a.m. The “killer 10K,” which is definitely a hill run, follows a course up Scott Hill, then up to Baker Ponds down to County Road and up a canyon to Norman Clyde before coming down along the “Grapevine” and back to the park. The cost for the chance to get in on the action is $20, and includes breakfast and a commemorative T-shirt.
At about 9 a.m., it will be time to let the games begin! And since the Big Pine Volunteer Fire Department is hosting the day’s festivities, expect the kind of games one would find at a fun muster-type event, including the famed “Water Ball,” where a large ball is hung from a cable and competitors attempt to use water from a hose to get it from one end of the cable to the other. Other offerings include the “Greased Pole,” which is slicked down and is rumored to have a $50 bill attached to the top for anyone agile and resilient enough to conquer it. There’s also horseshoes and for the kids, a bouncy house.
After building up an appetite with all the activities, or from just hanging out with friends and family in the shade of the park’s jovial atmosphere, consider noshing on the delicious dinner of chicken, ribs and tri-tip being barbecued up for revelers’ enjoyment by the Fire Department from 4-7 p.m. The menu consists of chicken, ribs, tri-tip, potato salad, beans, corn on the cob and ice cream for $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and children under 12.
Throughout the day, residents and visitors can also enjoy the music of Norm Graham, who will be performing crowd favorites pretty much until it’s time to pack it in for the evening.
As soon as the sun goes down, the Fire Department will welcome families and other revelers to light off their own Safe and Sane fireworks at a designated area of the park complex, letting the vibrant pyrotechnics signal the end to another long and festive Fourth in beautiful Big Pine.
BISHOP
Residents and visitors in Bishop will have the opportunity to celebrate Independence on Thursday, July 3 and Friday, July 4 with two fireworks events, games and activities in the City Park and fellowship with friends and neighbors.
Residents are invited to kick off the Fourth early at the Paiute Palace Casino as it hosts its annual pre-Fourth of July extravaganza. Beginning at noon at the casino on Thursday, July 3, the tribe will host a barbecue and activities for the kids and the 21-and-over set. The casino will be bringing back its popular climbing wall for attendees of all ages, a bounce house for youth and will have other activities available before it sets up its annual fireworks show.
Festivities at the casino are expected to wind down about 8 p.m. as spectators get situated for one of the largest fireworks shows in the area. Paiute Palace’s annual pyrotechnics display will kick off at 9 p.m., so grab a lawn chair, pull up a tailgate and enjoy the rockets’ red – or purple, or blue, or green – glare.
On Friday, the City of Bishop Community Services Department is inviting the public to get into the swing of July 4 festivities with a one-pitch, single-elimination softball tournament at the park beginning at 9 a.m. About 12-14 co-ed teams from the city’s Adult Softball League are expected to play in the “you-lost-you’re-out-of-the-tourney” contest, which, according to Community Services Director Keith Caldwell, is really more about fun than standings.
While parents are playing or watching the softball action over at Field 1, youngsters are encouraged to get in on various old-fashioned kids games, such as sack races, balloon toss and three-legged races, that will be taking place in the City Park. Adults, of course, are also encouraged to participate and relive the Fourth of July festivities from their childhoods. The games will be staged at 9 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., so that the tournament participants can also try a potato sack on for size.
Throughout the afternoon, Bishop Community Services will be serving up traditional July 4 beat-the-heat fare like ice cream and watermelon, and the city will be offering free swimming from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. those who want to spend the day in the refreshing waters of the Park Pool.
Activities at the park will wind down about mid-afternoon, not long after the Bishop Volunteer Fire Department opens up the gates to the Eastern Sierra Regional Airport at 3 p.m. Residents and visitors are encouraged to drive in their caravans and set up their barbecues, lawn chairs, flat bed trailers and whatever else it is they need (inflatable kiddie pools are not out of the question) to enjoy one of the area’s biggest “tail gate parties” of the year.
During the celebration at the Eastern Sierra Regional Airport, community groups will be selling lemonade and other summertime indulgences and local bands will be performing throughout the afternoon and evening to add to the electric atmosphere, which includes families setting off their own Safe and Sane fireworks under the watchful eyes of the fire department.
Once the sun sets behind the Sierra, about 9 p.m., it will be time to tune the radios in to KIBS at 100.7 FM or KBOV at 1203 AM for a live announcement of the start of the Bishop volunteers’ massive annual pyrotechnics display, which is synchronized to various patriotic songs. The fireworks can be viewed from several vantage points around Bishop, so if you’re not going to watch them from the airport (where there is a per-car charge to get in), be sure to send in a donation to the fire department or drop a contribution in one of the donation cans around town as a thanks for the entertainment the volunteers selflessly provide each year.
For more information on the July 4 offerings in Inyo County, as well as those planned in Mammoth Lakes, check out the brand-new publication, “Eastern Sierra Fourth of July,” available at Gus’ Jerky in Olancha; Boulder Creek RV Park, Lone Pine Museum of Film History and the Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce in Lone Pine; the Eastern California Museum, Independence Chamber of Commerce and the Independence Travel Center and Casino in Independence; the Big Pine Chamber of Commerce and the High Country Market in Big Pine; The Inyo Register, Schat’s Bakkery, the Paiute Palace Casino and Gas Station, Whiskey Creek and the Bishop Chamber of Commerce in Bishop; and at Laws Museum in Laws; and A.J.’s Market in Chalfant.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 05 August 2008 )
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