Gate City area residents can expect a Fourth of July holiday with plenty of fireworks and other fun festivities to celebrate the birth of the United States of America.
The celebration begins at 9:30 a.m. Thursday with the annual Historic Downtown Pocatello Inc. Independence Day Parade.
This year’s parade will be set to the theme of “Star Spangled Celebration” and will feature a different route than what has been typically used in the past due to the closure of the Center Street underpass.
This year, the parade will begin and end at the Union Pacific parking lot located at North Main and West Fremont streets. From North Main and West Fremont the floats will travel north to West Sublette, west on Sublette one block to North Arthur Avenue, south on Arthur to West Bonneville Street, east one block to North Main and then north to the intersection of North Main and West Fremont.
“This is a different parade route, so we are asking the public to be patient and to plan to park and walk to the parade,” said President and CEO of Historic Downtown Pocatello. Stephanie Palagi. “After the parade ends, if you could please stay around for a cold beverage while shopping at many of the downtown businesses to allow for traffic to disperse that would be helpful. We want to ensure the safety of all pedestrians, especially children with vehicles attempting to leave the parade too quickly.”
Palagi said Historic Downtown Pocatello Inc. is looking forward to the typical parade route for the Christmas parade in December.
Those who participate in the Independence Day Parade are not to throw candy from floats or vehicles and should instead have people that are walking distribute candy or flyers. Float participants are encouraged to have a fire extinguisher for safety.
The entry fee for commercial entries is $60, for non-profits the cost is $25 and any military or veteran entries the cost is free.
“Entries may start checking in at 7 a.m.,” according to the Independence Day Parade event and registration page . “The check-in point will be at North Harrison and West Wyeth. Line-up will be inside the Union Pacific parking lots on the 200 through 400 blocks of North Union Pacific Avenue. Volunteers will again be coordinating the lineup and parade start.”
Judging of the parade floats will take place between 8:30-9 a.m. and each float should be assembled and running in order to be judged. Awards this year include the grand prize award for the best overall entry, the most patriotic, most original, best business or commercial and best school spirit.
If you have any questions, please call the Historic Downtown Pocatello Inc. office at 208-232-7545 or e-mail spalagi@historicdowntownpocatello.com .
As soon as the parade ends in downtown Pocatello, local residents could head up to the Bannock County Event Center for its annual Fourth of July celebration with the Camping World RV Show kicking off the events from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
There will also be a car show, sponsored by Toyota and Pony Express Car Wash, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Those looking to participate in the car show can pre-register at the show or by visiting shorturl.at/hN7f9 . Cars will be allowed to park up to 1:45 p.m. Participants are encouraged to arrive before 11 a.m. to allow for enough time for same-day registration and parking.
The celebration will also feature the Snake River Doodles petting zoo from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Those looking to square off in a pie-eating contest, sponsored by Butterburr’s Restaurant, can do so on a first-come, first-serve basis. All ages are able to test their luck and there will be space for up to 30 participants. The pie show will be held at 6 p.m. at the front of the stage at the Bannock County Event Center.
Pocatello bands LOOT, Hot Pursuit and Modern Methods will be performing sets of original live music and some cover songs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. LOOT is a hip-hop group, Hot Pursuit has a funk rock sound and Modern Methods is an instrumental-fusion group. The stage will be located where it has been historically, in the middle of the Bannock Soccer Complex.
Food trucks and the beer garden will be serving food and beverages from 5 p.m. until the firework show begins around dusk. The Bannock County Independence Day Celebration is sponsored by Bannock County, Portneuf Medical Center and Idaho Central Credit Union.
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