Small Town 4th of July!!

4th of July Parade in Kenai, Alaska

The weather gave us a great break on Friday, the 4th!!  Great sunshiny day on the Kenai Peninsula!  It didn't rain on this small town America's parade!
We left the campground about 10:30, pulling into a steady stream of traffic coming up the highway from Soldotna heading into Kenai for the "BIG" parade which stepped off at 11:00.  We found a parking spot and climbed out of the car--without our folding chairs:  all of us forgot that sitting on the curb was for youngsters!  Jack did have two bag chairs in the back of his car which we did use--getting out of them was a definite challenge for us arthritic old timers!

The parade route was crowded with folks--I think the entire villages of Kenai and Soldotna were in attendance!  Here is a photo looking up Willow Street before the parade came by:

The parade was led by local service veterans carrying the flags.  In typical small town fashion, everyone stood, doffed their hats, and cheered or clapped!  Proud to be an American!

And, of course, there had to be fire trucks at the beginning of the parade, all with their sirens and horns going off every few seconds!  There was a big red one, a big yellow one from the airport, and even one from the little town of Nikinski just up the peninsula from Kenai.  Sure hope there were no accidents or fires around noon on Friday!

The big foam fire fighter from the airport--now that's a fire truck!

Nikinski sends their hook and ladder down to Kenai for the parade!

Surely it wouldn't be a celebration parade without the local car club!  There was a nice contingent of good ol' Fifties cars to jog our memories of our teenage years!

My aunts had a '55 Chevy hardtop--oh how I wanted one like it!

There was one even more unique than the '55 Chevy:  I hadn't seen a Hudson Hornet in forever, but here one came rolling on down the street:

We were all wondering if there would be a high school band...small town America with small student populations, in the summer, school not in session.  But there has to be a band in a 4th of July parade, surely!  There was:  it was the local "Community Band", all decked out in their special t-shirts, playing their hearts out for their townspeople!

The campground we are in even had their entry in the parade--note the very large barbeque "engine" and the political sign!

There were assorted sports teams:  a couple of Little League teams, the local minor league baseball team complete with mascot "Scoop", and a throw back:  the local female roller derby group!!  With those big pickles hanging off the truck, we sure hoped the team name wasn't "Pickles"!

It is an election year, so there were many assorted entries from the local politicians--no suits and ties on this warmish day in Alaska:  jeans or khakis and a clean shirt would do!  Interestingly, none of the political candidates had any party affiliation on their signs, so we didn't know if they were Republican, Democrat, or Independent--guess if you were a resident Alaskan, you would know!

One shouldn't laugh or giggle about someone's name, but one candidate for borough mayor--my guess is that is like our counties in the lower 48--did put a smile on our faces!  What a great name for running for political office in Alaska!

And what small town America parade would be without some local racing heroes?  There were about 5 or 6 race cars...this one seems to be an "also ran" because he had no sponsor logos on this beast!

Local businesses also had their entries--guess you could write the parade off as a business expense, but we were puzzled by this particular choice of advertising:  what is the message here?

We were pleased to see that even though we are up in a very short growing season part of the country, there is still a local 4-H chapter, even though it's geography is the entire Kenai Peninsula!

A SPECIAL 4TH OF JULY FOR THE MURLEYS

Not everyone has as special a July 4th as Ray and Tam Murley.  It is Tam's birthday as well as their wedding anniversary--and this year, it was not just any anniversary:  it was their 50th!!  They donned their special shirts and had fun with various comments they received during the parade!

Obviously, seeing just one shirt wouldn't make much sense, but put 'em together and the message rings out loud and clear!  CONGRATULATIONS, TAM AND RAY!  Betty, Jack, and I are honored that you chose to be with us and let us celebrate this special occasion with you!

From the Alaska Odyssey Caravan, we wish you all a wonderful summer!
Of course, more to come!