‘Celebrate U.S.’
Hailey revels in
annual
Fourth of July festivities
By GREGORY
FOLEY
Express Staff Writer
Equipped
with ice chests, colorful costumes, lawn chairs and bright smiles,
thousands of patriotic revelers turned out under clear skies Thursday
for the annual Fourth of July celebrations in Hailey.
This crowd-pleasing
entry, above, from Elbie’s Tire and Automotive of Hailey gets a bit of fair turnaround as the passengers—known for pelting the audience with water balloons—get a taste of their own medicine.
Events
started around 9 a.m. at Wood River High School with the annual Fourth
of July Wolverine Run, and concluded with the highlight of the day’s
festivities, a roughly 20-minute fireworks display staged from a site
near the high school’s football field. In the interim, an estimated
record crowd turned out for the Days of the Old West Parade down Main
Street, while hundreds packed venues throughout the town for barbecues,
antique fairs, and the Days of the Old West Rodeo.
Hailey
Mayor Al Lindley said he believed the festivities lived up to their
billing as some of the premiere celebrations of their kind in the state.
"I
think it was very successful," he said. "I was very pleased
and heard nothing but positive comments about the parade, and I was very
happy with the fireworks display."
The mayor
said the mile-long parade through the town’s commercial core drew as
many-and in all likelihood more-spectators than in any previous year.
"It was probably the biggest crowd ever," he said, noting that
huge crowds filled the sidewalks from Galena Street to Croy Street, with
thinner crowds lining Main Street all the way south to Maple Street.
Immediately
after the parade, hundreds of spectators headed to the annual Button
Barbecue in Hop Porter Park to feast on traditional American fare of
burgers, corn, and cold salads. The event also featured a live band and
numerous booths where vendors offered arts and crafts of all sorts.
The mile-long
parade, bottom, was led through the downtown by the Hailey unit of the Idaho National Guard.
Express photos by Willy Cook
However,
the success of the afternoon barbecue was marred that night by vandals
who set off explosive fireworks in one of the site’s bathrooms and
destroyed some of the fixtures "They did some major damage,"
Mayor Lindley said.
Following
a rendition of a frontier-town shootout in front of The Mint nightclub,
the Hailey unit of the Idaho National Guard started the parade
procession from north to south on Main Street, tailed by a long line of
groups that included Mayor Al Lindley and the Hailey City Council in a
convertible Chevy Bonneville, a contingent of Hailey’s 1952 graduating
class, and the new Peak commuter bus. The highlight of the event for
many was a rough-around-the-edges black convertible entered by Elbie’s
Tire and Automotive of Hailey which bounced on an elaborate suspension
as it trailed a huge Stars and Stripes from its rear end.
The theme
of this year’s parade was "Celebrate U.S." And some parade
spectators said they felt a particular need to celebrate the nation’s
declaration of independence in 1776 in the wake of the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
"You
have to celebrate the Fourth of July," said Hailey resident Randy
Miller. "It’s about independence and freedom, and that’s
exactly what everybody wants to take from you. We’re celebrating our
freedom."
Just
before dark, throngs of spectators spread out in streets and surrounding
high points near Wood River High School to enjoy a colorful 20-minute
fireworks display funded by local businesses and residents. The price
tag of the spectacle was estimated at $25,000, or roughly $1,000 per
minute.
"I
had quite a group of people at my house and they were quite
impressed," Lindley said. "I think we got our money’s
worth."
Carl
Hjelm, Hailey’s assistant fire chief, said that the Fourth of July
celebrations produced no serious injuries or emergencies. He said the
department responded to a four-car "linear collision" on the
south end of town just before the beginning of the parade that resulted
in some minor injuries to motorists. The department also received a
report of a small brush fire on the west end of Walnut Street just prior
to the fireworks display. Hjelm said the blaze-which he noted was
"more than likely" set by fireworks-was "extinguished by
neighbors" before fire crews were dispatched.
Hjelm
said that firemen responded to a total of only three calls July 4, but
were much busier Friday, July 5, when they responded to a dozen separate
incidents. "That was very busy day for us."