ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The 4th of July holiday might seem a bit far away, but some in town are already making plans for festivities in Liberal, particularly with the parade.
This year's 4th of July Parade will be Friday, July 4, with staging starting at 9 a.m. and the parade itself starting at 10 a.m. Staging will be at Trail Street, and the parade will start there and go north to Light Park, where the parade committee will be hosting a fun day in the park for everyone following the parade. The day in the park will wrap up later that afternoon, and then people can head to Brent Gould Field that evening for the annual Bee Jays baseball game and fireworks show afterward.
Float entries are being accepted for this year’s parade, and coordinator Earl Watt said there is a lot of excitement with this year’s festivities.
“The theme for this year's parade is 'Guardians of Freedom,' and we want to honor military veterans, so anyone who's a veteran who would like to be in the parade is more than welcome to do so in any capacity they choose, because we want the public to be able to come out and thank these veterans for their service,” Watt said. “This year's festivities will be leading up to next year, which will mark the 250th birthday of the U.S., which will be a big celebration, so we hope to have a good parade and good celebration this year with a lot of floats. Our float numbers for the 4th of July Parade have been pretty strong each year, we've had at least 50 floats participate in the past couple parades, so we're looking forward to another strong year in terms of float participation. There's no cost to participate in the parade, so this is a great way to showcase your civic club or church or organization, or maybe you just want to share your love for the U.S.”
Watt said he hopes to see many floats in this year’s parade.
“With the theme being 'Guardians of Freedom,' there's not really any limit there in terms of decoration, and any patriotic decorations are more than welcome. If you want to share your patriotism, this parade is a great way to do that,” Watt said. “I know a lot of people say 'We see other people in other countries who really seem to love their country,' and this parade is your chance to show your pride in the U.S., so come out with your red, white and blue and show your love for this country that's been the land of opportunity for so many. We all have ancestors who came to the U.S., so we should all use this time to celebrate how we're all here in the land of the free and home of the brave, because that's what the 4th of July is all about. With our military veterans, they fought and sacrificed so we would be able to celebrate like this and live how we want to. We should take this one day to put aside differences and come together to celebrate this country. John Adams said something along the lines of the 4th of July needing to be a day filled with games, parades and fireworks, and Liberal's celebrations will definitely have all three, so come out and show your pride in your country.”
Any individual or group/business/organization wanting to enter a float would just need to call the Leader & Times office at (620) 626-0840 or email
“We'll be staging everything on Trail Street along the railroad tracks. While we will get you in the lineup if you show up that day, it really helps if people sign up beforehand so we have a more firm idea of how to prepare and what to expect,” Watt said. “We've never turned anyone away, but we like to have a plan because there is a certain order we'd like to have things in, like any other parade, so it helps us to know how many to expect. It's always better to make that commitment early and start thinking now about how you want your float to work. If you wait too long, time will get away from you and your idea probably won't come out quite like you wanted it to. Go ahead and start those discussions now with your civic group/organization and get things sketched out and planned out so you can have a presence in the parade, because we want to see you there. We want to show how this community is proud of the U.S., and this parade is a great chance to do that.”
Watt added he also hopes to see a wide variety of floats for this year’s parade.
“We've only revived this parade for a few years now, and what I've been impressed with is how much response we've had, because we've had a bunch of floats each year, and they've all been really well done,” Watt said. “I've been really impressed with the time and effort that's been put into these floats, and it's amazing to see how much these groups and individuals care about this country and want to share their patriotism. We get to also see some classic cars and motorcycles, and there was a gentleman who called me from Texas last year who asked if he could participate, and we got him in the lineup. The parade portion is done by the Sons of the American Revolution and Daughters of the American Revolution groups, and all of those members can trace their family tree back to someone who fought in the Revolutionary War. The U.S. means something different to everyone, and this is our way of having a public event that reminds us we're all Americans. We have so many differences we can fuss over, and there are times we forget about all the things we have in common – if the 4th of July wasn't around, we wouldn't be able to have those debates and discussions because it would be considered akin to treason. We're where we are today because a group of men stood up and said 'We can govern ourselves,' and here we are 249 years later still going. Everyone is welcome to have a float and participate.”
Overall, Watt said, this year’s 4th of July festivities in Liberal should make for a great time.
“No matter what type of float you want to enter, if you want to be part of the parade, this is a great chance to do that. We do expect to see participation keep growing,” Watt said. “With parades, it's not like you're standing in line for a ride at a theme park and then you're finished, there's more anticipation and people are thinking 'I can't wait to see what comes down the street next!' With parades, more is better, and it certainly doesn't detract from anything having more cars or more floats, etc. All of that just adds to the overall event. Just get in touch with us and let us know what you want to do, and we'll get you in. It doesn't cost anything, it's a great way to highlight your business/organization/civic group, etc., so come and celebrate with the community as we commemorate the 4th of July. It's a parade for everyone, and that's a cornerstone of the U.S. as far as everyone getting a chance.”
