Independence Day is one of the biggest days of the year for Oneida County, and as it always is, this year’s celebration was packed with events.  Because of the amount of things that happened, the timing of the event this year, and other things that also need to be covered, we are presenting an overview of some of the parade’s elements in this issue with the promise of more to come in the next few weeks.  In this issue, we cover the Fourth of July Melodrama, along with the exciting news of the auditorium being dedicated in honor of Kay and Gene Caldwell.  We also bring you pictures of the winners of softball, kickball, and leapfrog events.  The last pages in the paper this week were already set aside to bring you the remaining Rec League pictures from last week, so we won’t have space for a full rundown of the Kids’ parade that took place on July 3, Malad’s Got Talent, the Hypnotist at the Park, the Fun Run, and a number of other events that took place over the weekend.

Despite some rain throughout the day, the parade went off without a hitch, so to speak.  Hess Pumice took first place in the floats, followed by the Frozen Cow and Edith’s.  This year’s parade also saw floats with the Grand Marshals Dennis and Sherrie Evans, the Honored Veteran Rick Madsen, and the Honored Pioneer Patsy Bybee, as well as other VIPs.  The Committee in charge of planning and fundraising for a new playground at the city park also had a float in this year’s parade, and we will cover that story in coming weeks.

While it would be nice to be able to get everything in one issue, it’s a better problem to have too much stuff than not enough, so here you are for this week, and look forward to more next week!