Communities prepare for holiday fun

Sanders County is preparing for an active celebration of the most patriotic holiday of the year, Independence Day. The weekend, each town will celebrate with various group events and festivities.

In Thompson Falls, Ainsworth Park will host a Fourth of July celebration. According to Daniel Moore, owner of the Black Bear family of companies and chairman of Thompson Falls Main Street, Inc., the first major event to be held in the Ainsworth Park, after its official grand opening, will be an Independence Day celebration on July 3 and 4. The event is organized by Thompson Falls Main Street, Inc. and will feature live music and educational exhibits from local EMS, police and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Moore said there will also be more than 30 vendors and a kids’ Fourth of July parade. The parade will lap the park perimeter walking path, and participants will decorate their bicycles and wagons. Those wishing to participate in the parade should meet in front of the veterans memorial in the park at 11:30 a.m. on July 4. The parade will start at noon. More information about the weekend can be found on the Facebook page 4th of July in Thompson Falls. Thompson Falls Main Street, Inc. can also be reached through the email [email protected].

“The thing is to put Fourth of July weekend in Thompson Falls back on the map,” said Moore, “We are advertising a couple hundred miles out, so we hope to draw from Idaho and even Washington.”

Thompson Falls City Council voted to suspend the ordinance that prohibits fireworks at Wild Goose Landing Park area from 6 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Also in Thompson Falls, Project ASCENT, a local nonprofit organization that provides educational outdoor experiences to kids, is hosting its annual Cornhole Festival. The festival will be on Eddy Flats at 9 Lanz Lane, just off Highway 200 in the Eddy Flats area east of Thompson Falls. The event will follow two weeks of their silent auction, which will be hosted at the Clark Fork Valley Elks Lodge. The auction began Saturday, June 19. The festival will start July 3 and will run through the weekend. There will be food and beverages available for purchase, along with a free performance Saturday evening by local artist Tanner Laws. Tickets for the tournament, information on camping and more can be found on the events page of Project ASCENT’s website, http://www.projectascent.org, and updates are available on their Facebook page.

The Noxon Bicentennial Park Committee is also holding their annual Independence Day celebration, and this year’s theme is “celebrate freedom.” There will be a fun run at 8 a.m., a parade at noon, fireworks at 10:45 p.m., and food and other events throughout the day. According to Larry Wanamaker, who has been doing the fireworks show for the last four years, this show will be bigger than in past years, and it will be visible from anywhere along the Clark Fork River near Noxon. The event is a fundraiser, benefiting the Noxon park. Those interested in the fun run can call 847-2019. For parties interested in the parade, call 847-2624.

The Paradise American Legion Post 129 will be hosting their annual Picnic in the Park all day Sunday, July 4, across Highway 200 from the American Legion in Paradise. There will be free hot dogs and hamburgers, a potluck lunch and kids’ games. According to Darin King, commander of the Paradise American Legion, there will not be a parade or fireworks show this year. Without a place to do the show, King said they donated their fireworks to the Plains fairgrounds for their fireworks show, which also will not be held this year.