Tumwater’s 4th of July celebrations help thousands from around the region ‘come together’

For Rochelle Fernandus and her mom, dad, sisters and brother, the Fourth of July is an opportunity for people to come together.

Fernandus and her family, a party of 10, were just some of the thousands of people who came together at the annual Tumwater Family Festival and Nisqually Red Wind Casino Fireworks Show to celebrate the Independence Day on Thursday.

From Olympia, Fernandus told The Olympian she has been attending the festival and fireworks show with her family for the last five years or so. Their plan this year: eat funnel cake, watch the fireworks show and bond.

“You have to think about what Fourth of July stands for: celebrating independence,” Fernandus said. “I feel like that’s really important. Voting, the elections are on the way, so it’s really important for people to come together.”

The Tumwater Family Festival and Nisqually Red Wind Casino Fireworks Show is one of two Fourth of July events put together by the City of Tumwater.

The other is the Independence Day Parade, which made its way from Capitol Boulevard and Lee Street down Capitol Boulevard to Israel Road before ending at the Linderson Way and Israel Road intersection on Thursday morning.

Born on July 4, Ayden Fontana celebrated both the Fourth of July and a birthday with Tumwater’s parade, festival and fireworks show, and has been doing so for several years now. Fontana even participated in the parade one year.

Instead of spending the holiday with family like in previous years, Fontana spent it with four friends at the festival and fireworks show. Some of the party of five graduated from Olympia High School together just last month.

Like Fernandus and her family, celebrating the Fourth of July in Tumwater is a tradition for Fontana.

“Just the energy of the people,” Fontana’s friend Corvin Stenek told The Olympian. “Just the idea of coming together and having a celebration.”

At the festival were food vendors, inflatables, face painting, arts and crafts activities, a photo booth, live DJ music, magic shows, balloon twisting and performances by aerialist group Wings Aerial Acrobats leading up to the fireworks show in the evening.

Marisa Worden, Tumwater Parks and Recreation Department marketing specialist, told The Olympian that up to 18,000 people come together from local and outlying areas to celebrate the Fourth of July at the festival and fireworks show.

“The idea is to have freedom and be independent,” Worden said. “And so, I think it allows you to come as a family and celebrate in your own community.”