Bang-up July 4 celebration in La Conner

The format remains the same, but La Conner’s honoring America’s birthday never gets old.

The town will again be scene of a full slate of Fourth of July festivities, starting with a 12 p.m. patriotic parade down First Street followed by children’s and family events at Pioneer Park. Join in the traditional afternoon holiday fun including three-legged races, a hot dog feed and watermelon-eating contest.

And at that point the party’s just getting started.

A beer and wine garden and food vendors will be at the Port of Skagit’s La Conner Marina at 5 p.m. Then, about an hour later, live outdoor music fills the air with back-to-back performances by The Fantasy Band and The Side Project.

Proceeds from the beer garden and concert will benefit local students and youth musicians.

The band performances specifically support the Rick Epting Foundation for the Arts Fund. Epting, who passed away in 2005, was a beloved supporter of the arts in the Skagit Valley, well known as a longtime entertainment editor and vocal agent for social change.

Tomorrow’s agenda wraps up with a 10 p.m. Western Display fireworks show on the west side of Swinomish Channel, clearly visible all along the La Conner waterfront. An unscheduled, but always colorful fireworks encore from Swinomish Village usually extends well into the night.

“This is one of the best Fourth of July celebrations anywhere,” Town Administrator Scott Thomas said last week. “The fireworks display is excellent and the parade is really special. The neat thing about the parade is it’s pretty much of an impromptu event and you never quite know who will show up, but it’s always great.”

Thomas referred to parade entries reflecting what’s fondly called La Conner’s “eclectic randomness.” Those can range from miniature donkeys to an array of household pets, many clad in red, white, and blue.

Vintage cars and trucks, farm tractors of all sizes, bikes, trikes, and unicycles, colorful floats and a fleet of emergency vehicles – including the Town’s venerable gleaming white 1941 fire engine – are Fourth of July mainstays.

As is candy. Many parade participants toss treats curbside – a truly sweet treat for all.

In La Conner, Independence Day pretty much fulfills the prophesy of John Adams, the country’s second president and among the nation’s founders, who envisioned the Fourth of July being America’s great anniversary festival, one celebrated through succeeding generations.

So far, that’s been the case. This year marks birthday number 243 for the U.S.