ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The 4th of July holiday might seem somewhat far away yet, people in Liberal are already making plans to celebrate this year’s festivities.
This year's 4th of July Parade will be Saturday, July 4, with staging starting at 9 a.m. and the parade 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 Liberal Recreation Department will be hosting a fun day in the park for everyone from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. After the day in the park, people can head to Brent Gould Field that evening for the annual Bee Jays baseball game and fireworks show afterward. Coordinator Earl Watt said he expects this year’s parade to be big.
“With this year being the 250th celebration of the United States of America, it's going to be a very special once in a lifetime event, so we're really expecting to have strong participation, and I know with what they've got planned in the park, it's going to be a big, big day,” Watt said. “Because it's the 250th anniversary, it's a Happy Birthday America theme, but also Stars and Stripes Forever, so that's what we want people to think about for their floats. The Sons of the American Revolution and the Daughters of the American Revolution have secured a veteran as grand marshal, and we'll make that announcement as it gets a little bit closer to that day. We want people to come out and participate and start that day off right with the parade. We would really love to see floats, we've seen some great floats already in the short time we’ve had this parade back. This is our fifth year already of the Fourth of July parade, and it's grown so much – last year was incredible with the number of floats we had participating, we had to stage it from Kansas Ave. all the way down to Pershing Ave. and down some side streets because there were so many floats we had to get some in there, so we're looking forward to a huge parade this year too.”
Watt added this is a good time to officially make a decision about participating in this year’s parade.
“I’ve already had someone send me a photo of float prep they're already doing, so some groups have already started, which is kind of humbling to us, because we didn't start this out of nowhere,” Watt said. “Any individual or group or business or organization wanting to enter a float would just need to call the Leader & Times office at (620) 626-0840 or email
Along with many floats, Watt said he hopes to see a lot of people coming out and watching the parade as well.
“I was 5 years old in 1976. I remember the fireworks on TV, I remember hearing everyone talking about the 200th birthday of the U.S. I don't remember a lot more, but I do remember that,” Watt said. “This year is going to be the one your kids will talk about and say ‘Yeah, I was there when we celebrated America's 250th!’ John Adams said this day was going to be celebrated across this continent with games and picnics and fireworks, and he's been right for 250 years. This is every American's day to come out and say ‘I'm going to put everything else aside, and today we're just going to celebrate the United States of America, 250 years of it.’ This 4th of July one is not going to be like every other one, this is the one you're going to remember. 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.’”
Overall, Watt said, the parade should be a success.
“No matter what 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 or organization or 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.”
