Annandale area residents, and many hailing from greater distances, have the opportunity to carry on a tradition that began 126 years ago this week.
Fourth of July festivities begin Wednesday, July 1, continuing Annandale’s signature celebration that began just one year after the city’s incorporation in 1889.
Event chairman John Volden said that the successful festivities require both long- and short-term commitment.
"The heavy lifting is pretty much done ahead of the event and then the volunteers make themselves available over that holiday weekend and pull this whole event off," he said. "Everything has come together really nicely."
This year’s celebration features many of the same popular attractions as last year, including a concert by the Fabulous Armadillos before the fireworks on Saturday, July 4, and a larger parade than most in recent years earlier the same day.
A few changes to note include a 5:30 p.m. start time for the Miss Annandale coronation before the Armadillos concert and the breaking up of the softball tournament to run on Thursday, Friday and Sunday because the ball field will be needed for the coronation, concert and fireworks viewing on Saturday.
The fireworks will again be launched from a floating platform offshore, allowing the full park to be used for fireworks viewing (see the related story in this edition for more on the fireworks barge).
More information on the Annandale ambassadors and the music lineup for this year’s Fourth is included this week’s Fourth of July special section.
Celebration overview
While the Fourth festivities are about to officially launch, a variety of preliminary events have already taken place to lay the groundwork. Miss Annandale candidates were introduced at the ice cream social on Thursday, June 18, the Kick-off to the Fourth of July Gala was held Friday, June 26, and the candidate car wash and kiddie parade took place on Saturday, June 27.
Looking forward, the carnival arrives in town on Wednesday, July 1, and is scheduled to open at 4 p.m. Mitch Gordon and the Unleaded Band will perform on the portable stage by the lake from 7 to 10 p.m. in the park.
The celebration continues to gather steam on Thursday, July 2, with the carnival opening at 4 p.m., the softball tournament beginning at 6 and running to 10 p.m., the KRWC Traveling Road Show appearing from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and the Route 55 Jazz Band performing from 7 to 9 p.m. on the stage by the lake.
Ride enthusiasts can enjoy a noon carnival opening on Friday, July 3.
A pork chop dinner sponsored by the St. Ignatius Youth Ministry will be served from 4 to 8 p.m. in the Municipal Park pavilion. The softball tournament resumes at 6 p.m., the Annandale Community Band begins playing on the stage at 7 p.m. and the boat parade on Pleasant Lake begins at 7 p.m. and will conclude near the Municipal Park beach at about 8 p.m.
The big day kicks off with the parade at 10 a.m., followed by the carnival opening at noon and bingo sponsored by Annandale Boy Scout Troop 354 in the park pavilion from noon to 6 p.m.
During the afternoon those waiting for the evening activities can check out the Old West Society at Minnesota Pioneer Park. Shows are planned at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. See history unfold with re-enactments of historic events and some humor thrown in for fun.
The Miss Annandale coronation ceremony will begin at 5:30 p.m. on the park stage, and the regionally-acclaimed Fabulous Armadillos will begin their set at 7 p.m.
"The Armadillos will probably be one of the highlight events of the celebration," said Volden. "We had them last year and we received just a ton of positive feedback about that. A lot of folks wanted us to have them back again this year, and fortunately their calendar accommodated this date again. They certainly made me aware that the date was available and they would welcome the opportunity to come back. They seemed to enjoy themselves here and enjoy the feedback they got from the crowd that evening."
The band is looking forward to the show as well.
"We enjoy all of our outdoor shows, but we remember the Annandale Fourth of July show for the great crowd and the hospitality the folks of Annandale gave us," said Greg Armstrong, the keyboard player for the Armadillos. "The folks in Annandale and the audience were great and the crowd was huge, and we hope to make it even bigger this year."
The evening will be capped with fireworks at dusk, or around 10 p.m. Annandale police officers will be helping to direct traffic out of town after the show, and Police Chief Jeff Herr encouraged everyone to be patient as they are leaving.
"Usually it clears out pretty fast," he said.
Sunday concludes the celebration with the carnival at noon, the softball tournament running from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and bingo in the park pavilion from noon to 4 p.m.
Parade
The parade will be the largest in recent years, with 103 units and 1,070 individuals participating as of the beginning of the week. That is eight units and about 200 more participants than last year’s parade.
"I’m very pleased with the turnout. It will be an excellent parade this year," said Annandale Mayor and parade organizer Dwight "Dewey" Gunnarson.
This year’s parade will feature three high school marching bands from Maple Lake, Osseo and New York Mills, along with the Annandale Middle School Band, the high school drumline and the Phoenix drumline, a professional group. DaBand wil also make its 23rd Annandale Fourth of July appearance.
A change to this year’s parade is that all units that are not color guards, emergency vehicles or paid participants will be eligible for People’s Choice awards. Spectators can note down their favorite units in terms of visual appeal or entertainment value on a ballot space on their programs, and runners will collect the ballots at the end of the parade. Cash prizes are $300 for first place, $200 for second and $100 for third.
"The entire idea is to liven up the parade a little bit, to have all the business and units become as entertaining as possible rather than just driving a car through with a cardboard sign – to create more spectacles," said Gunnarson. "No one likes a boring parade. People are going there and they want to see something unique and they want to see something fun."
One other change is that there will not be any emcees for the parade this year.
"That was a good experiment, but it was a little taxing on the city staff, and with the additional bands we wanted to take the funds we spent on that and put them toward the bands and more entertaining units," said Gunnarson. "It was a cool idea and maybe we’ll bring it back again another day."
See the Fourth of July section included with this Advocate for more details on the parade route and units involved.
Coronation details
Fans of the queen coronation will have to remember that the event is starting earlier this year due to the Armadillos concert.
There are 12 contestants, which is the most since about 2008.
"We have a really great group of girls this year," said Wendy Sylvester of the ambassador committee. "They’re all involved in many things. They’re all very articulate. They’re all very polite and respectful. And they’ve really shown us that they are available for extra volunteer opportunities and they’re willing to go above and beyond, so that’s really nice to see out of a young group of girls."
This year’s candidates are Emma Atkinson, Brooke Brower, Melanie Braun, Grace Chamberlin, Lily Hedtke, Haylee Liestman, Sara Provo, Anna Sanders, Paige Sommers, Cassy Stiller, Mackenzie Weis and Emmalee Woods.
Outgoing royalty, including Miss Annandale Calisha Norgren and princesses Michelle Garmon and Naomi Volden, have been a good team.
"They’ve had a great year," said Sylvester. "Again, they’ve done so many extra things that are not required for them. They’re always willing to help out. We’ve heard many good things from other communities about our royalty. Their parents have all been wonderful too in volunteering their time."
A review of this year’s royals is included in the Fourth of July section included with this Advocate.
Sylvester encouraged area residents to support the program through purchases of Fourth of July merchandise.
"Just know that any time you see buttons for sale around town or Fourth of July shirts at Marketplace, that’s all a fundraising opportunity for our scholarship program," she said. "We’ve had a great response to our fundraising opportunities so far, and we thank everyone for supporting us.