It’s hard to imagine a Fourth of July without fireworks, but in the absence of financial support that appeared to be the fate facing St. Peter’s 53rd annual Old-Fashioned Fourth of July celebration.
On June 11, St. Peter Area Chamber of Commerce Director Ed Lee delivered a solemn announcement to the community in a Facebook post: the Fourth of July fireworks were canceled.
Without the steady funding flows that had supported the event when it was organized by the Red Men Club, Lee said it was becoming difficult for the chamber to raise funds necessary for the annual fireworks show. Combined with the loss of a tourism grant and several other key revenue streams and lacking a fiscal partner to assist with fundraising, Lee announced that ”producing a show of this magnitude became unsustainable.”
But when all hope for a fireworks show seemed lost, local organizations and businesses swiftly stepped in to get the Fourth of July tradition back on track. Just 24 hours after his initial announcement, Lee declared that with the financial backing of the St. Peter Ambassadors and the assistance of the city of St. Peter and the local school district in finding a new site for the show, the fireworks would be back for another year at the Old-Fashioned Fourth of July.
“It’s so satisfying to see this thing come together to be rekindled and burn as brightly as its been burning and there was such an overwhelming response and interest in fireworks because it’s such a family friendly endeavor,” said Lee.
The Chamber Director credited Cory Abels of the St. Peter Ambassadors for leading the charge in setting up a fundraising campaign for the fireworks. Local individuals, businesses and community organizations sent a flurry of donations to the event through a fundraising page on the Ambassadors’ website and in less than 48 hours, the St. Peter Chamber of Commerce had met their fundraising goal of $12,000.
Lee and Abels had yet another exciting announcement on Monday. The community had raised over $13,000 for the event, making this year’s fireworks show the largest and most explosive display in the three years the Chamber has organized the event.
Due to the construction of the new apartments near the Fourth of July’s usual blast site, the fireworks have been moved to Community Spirit Park, just behind St. Peter High School. The site was provided to the Old-Fashioned Fourth of July by the city of St. Peter and the St. Peter School District.
“It’s so wide open, spacious, with plenty of parking and great visibility and really a logical awesome site,” said Lee.
It’s not just the fireworks that will be bigger this year. The Old-Fashioned Fourth of July is set to be the grandest in recent years with an all new party in the park featuring live music, food trucks, classic cars and a beer stand. The party in the park was initially planned as a replacement for the fireworks, said Lee, but with the show back on schedule the event will serve to expand the Old-Fashioned Fourth of July even further.
The celebration begins at 10 a.m. with the annual Fourth of July parade featuring over 93 floats. Rose Rustman, longtime manager at Arrow Hardware and Paint, will be featured in the parade as Grand Marshal alongside the St. Peter High School Marching Saints, the Govenaires, Schell’s Hobo Band, Mankato Riverblenders, Sugarloom, the Over-60 Band and two shriner units.
Immediately following the parade, the Govenaires will perform the national anthem at Minnesota Square Park during a flag presentation by the American Legion and VFW color guard. The Govenaires will then perform their annual concert in the park.
From 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. residents can find refreshments at the beer tent and enjoy Mexican, Greek and Somalian cuisine, pizza, kettle corn and the Ambassadors’ famous grilled chicken across eight different food stops from noon to 4 p.m.
The Old-Fashioned Fourth of July has invited their first 10-piece band, Powerhouse, to entertain the afternoon crowd with a mix of classic rock, rhythm and blues, swing, soul, disco and adult contemporary music from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Families will also be able to enjoy games, crafts and activities including the kiddie express train, hula hoop contest, face painting and bubbles.
The event’s all new party in the park from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. will feature live music by Rock of Ages and a classic car show alongside food trucks and the beer stand. The celebration then concludes with the explosive finale of the fireworks show at 10 p.m.
“The community is always supportive but there’s something about this year the support is just bursting at the seams and it feels really, really good,” said Lee.
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