Waterloo continues annual 4th of July tradition

WATERLOO — Hundreds of people gathered for Waterloo’s annual July 4th celebration in Firemen’s Park this year.

Several attendees shared that this event has always been how they celebrate the 4th of July.

“It’s tradition,” one woman said. “We’ve lived here all our lives.”

Lorraine shared that she and her friends are all from cities around Waterloo. Yet, they all come to Waterloo for July 4th, and they’ve been doing that for 15 years. She said they enjoy the small town feel and the community in Waterloo.

Throughout the day, Firemen’s Park held three baseball games, food and music throughout the day.

One band, Bad Habit, played two sets in the afternoon. Luanne “Susie” Platt is the lead singer and plays the acoustic guitar. She said this was the band’s second time in Waterloo, but first for the 4th of July. Platt noticed all of the families and friends gathering to just have a good time.

“It’s been incredible,” Platt said. “It’s just full of happy people.”

Bad Habit normally plays 60s and 70s music that a lot of people know, but she’s heard feedback that they don’t play songs many bands are playing. Still, they included classics like ‘Stuck in the Middle,’ ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ and a participatory rendition of Happy Birthday to America.

Platt said it’s cool to see the festivities, and she enjoys when people sing along, and for the July 4th event in Waterloo, some couples started dancing along.

“When I see people love it, I love it,” Platt said.

The band’s bass player, Steve Justman, has been in Waterloo since the 80s. He lives down the street from Fireman’s Park, and remembers the early days of the July 4th event. He said there used to be nearly 10,000 people in attendance.

The Waterloo carousel was also open during the event. The historic carousel at Fireman’s Park is now open for a few hours on Sundays, and for some events throughout the year.

There were concessions out by the baseball game to fundraise for Waterloo volleyball. The lower pavilion had pies and ice cream provided by St. Paul’s Waterloo and Bristol Lutheran.