The many meanings of Independence Day
Residents applaud in tribute to troops killed in action during the Coeur d’Alene Independence Day Parade on Wednesday. (JUDD WILSON/Press)
Jacinta Murphy leads girls and boys from Our Lady of Knock Irish Dance Academy in a performance on Sherman Avenue on Wednesday. (JUDD WILSON/Press)
Locals listen attentively to a reading of the Declaration of Independence on Wednesday morning at Independence Point. (JUDD WILSON/Press)
JUDD WILSON/Press Parade watchers enjoy bubbles, camaraderie, and beautiful weather on the Fourth of July in Coeur d’Alene.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Actors with Christian Youth Theatre and Christian Community Theatre stride down the parade route dressed as “Newsies,” from the Broadway musical. The CYT and CCT play runs Aug. 2-12 at the Lake City Playhouse. For tickets, visit www.cytnorthidaho.org
Girls and boys from Our Lady of Knock Irish Dance Academy perform in the Fourth of July Parade on Wednesday. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
Ryker Patterson with the The Perfection-Nots plays his quad to a tune down the Fourth of July parade route on Sherman on Wednesday. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
Samantha Houseman, a.k.a Seymour Guts, leaps over fellow Snake Pit Derby Dames during the Fourth of July parade on Wednesday. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
Skaters and supporters of the new Coeur d'Alene skate park ride down Sherman Avenue during the Fourth of July Parade. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
Missy Majnarich with The Red Hot Mamas performs in the Fourth of July parade in downtown Coeur d'Alene. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
The Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce float makes its way down Sherman Avenue during the Fourth of July Parade on Wednesday. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
LOREN BENOIT/Press Spectators at Independence Point watch fireworks erupt in the sky above Lake Coeur d’Alene during the Fourth of July fireworks display on Wednesday.
Fireworks explode in the sky above Lake Coeur d'Alene during the Fourth of July fireworks show on Wednesday. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
Spectators at Independence Point watch fireworks erupt in the sky above Lake Coeur d'Alene during the Fourth of July fireworks display on Wednesday. (LOREN BENOIT/Press)
COEUR d’ALENE — Independence Day here is the stuff of country song lyrics. Family, fireworks, recreation, flags, veterans, and liberty are what local residents said made their Fourth of July special.
Post Falls resident Dale Motz watched the parade with his wife and grandkids. For the retired sawmill worker, the day was about independence and liberty. He said the family planned to make a nice dinner and enjoy fireworks later in the day. Motz spent 1968-1974 in the U.S. Army, including a stint in Vietnam with the 25th Infantry Division. His job? Defusing land mines.
“I’m still shaking,” he joked.
Spectators gave long rounds of applause as veterans and military service-related groups marched in the parade.
Coeur d’Alene teenagers Baehley Lyght and Taehlyr Lyght enjoyed the holiday’s fun atmosphere. Baehley usually spent her Fourth of July holidays hanging out with friends and watching fireworks, she said. When she was younger, she would go to her grandparents’ house in Post Falls and light off fireworks there, and grill with her parents.
Her sister, Taehlyr, added, “I like seeing everyone come out to be together” at the parade.
Former Coeur d’Alene resident Lily Lind spoke of the city’s beautiful fireworks, campfires, and parade as essential to her Fourth of July celebrations. Lind added that catching candy thrown at the parade was also a bonus.
Prior to the parade, Glenn Bledsoe of Coeur d’Alene attended a reading of the Declaration of Independence at Independence Point. He said the document was an acknowledgment by our Founding Fathers that their rights were God-given. They weren’t revolting against the British, he said. Rather, they were defending the rights they had inherited as Englishmen under God’s laws and under the Magna Carta. “The king and parliament were no longer obeying their own law,” he added.
Capt. Lee Brainard of the Coeur d’Alene Police Department said for him Independence Day was about “a history of sacrifice and commitment to our freedoms.” He added that “our freedoms continue to change as we change as a nation,” but that “as an American people we’re all still committed to those freedoms.” The patrol division chief spent the morning working the parade route alongside other first responders.
For Alan and Janet Anderson, a trip to Coeur d’Alene is a Fourth of July tradition. Alan retired as maintenance supervisor for the city of Pullman, Wash., and Janet retired after 26 years as kitchen manager at Moscow High School. When they were younger, Alan said they used to watch the hydroplane races here. One year, they almost got hauled off to jail while watching spectators start an alcohol-fueled riot, Alan chuckled. Janet said the event was better when alcohol was prohibited. When their kids were young, they used to drive their kids to the lake for the Fourth of July. They’ve attended the Independence Day parade in Coeur d’Alene between 20-45 times over the last 50 years, they said, and also take part in other summertime events here. Their daughter owns a condo overlooking the lake. The waterfront, people, good food, parks, and a nice drive up here makes for a lovely time, Janet said. The couple has traveled everywhere in their camper trailer, but always come home feeling like this is the best place of all.
“North Idaho can’t be beat. The people have common sense here,” Janet said.