Fireworks, parade, concert on July 4

It seems the pandemic has fizzled as far as local plans for the Fourth of July go.

The sizzle is back.

The Town of La Conner and Port of Skagit have joined forces to schedule an Independence Day celebration as locals were accustomed to in pre-pandemic years.

Hometown-style July 4 festivities, start with a downtown parade at noon and concluding with a 10 p.m. fireworks show, Town Administrator Scott Thomas told the Weekly News.

“We’re trying to bring back what we had in the past and see what works,” Thomas said, “and hopefully be able to expand on that more next year.”

There will be food, drink and free music entertainment at the marina, with a 7:30 p.m. performance by Pacific Northwest favorite, The Chris Eger Band.

The Powerhouse Horns and BroHam of Seattle open the outdoor marina concert at 5:30 p.m.

Proceeds from the adjoining beer garden, which opens at 5 p.m., and a raffle, will benefit the Rick Epting Foundation Fund, which provides music lessons for students at La Conner Schools who can’t afford lessons and equipment rentals, spokesperson Linda Lipke said.

Parade entries can begin lining up at the marina at 11 a.m. Those wishing to enter can contact Town Hall or sign up when they arrive at the marina’s south basin parking lot, Thomas said.

As always, weather is the uncertainty.

“We had scorching heat at the end of June last year,” Thomas recalled. “Hopefully, that doesn’t happen this year.”

Mayor Ramon Hayes said having weathered COVID-19 and its issues is a victory in itself as Independence Day gets planned.

“We’re hopeful it will be another small step forward in getting folks beyond the COVID mindset,” he said.

The show put on by Western Display Fireworks over Swinomish Channel should do just that.

“This company,” said Lipke, “produces the annual New Year’s Eve display at Seattle’s Space Needle.”

The La Conner Fourth of July events offer a chance to somewhat turn the page on the pandemic, Hayes noted. “Although we’re not entirely out of the woods yet,” he said, “it’s nice to be able to hold these types of community events outside.”