A holiday and a staycation

Chamber pushes forward with Festival at the Park celebration

COEUR d’ALENE — Staycation this Fourth of July with the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce’s annual parade and family-friendly activities in City Park.

Although the firework show has been canceled due to coronavirus and budget concerns, the Sherman Avenue parade is set to decorate the town in red, white, and blue. Sixty floats will roll from 15th to First Street featuring Grand Marshal Sheriff Ben Wolfinger, Citizen of the Year Rick Rasmussen, Volunteer of the Year Brent Lyles, and different local businesses and groups.

Madison Leonard, former Coeur d’Alene Junior Miss and professional opera singer, will kick off the 10 a.m. parade by singing the national anthem.

“We’re doing everything we can do to still have a safe and fun event because I think that people want and deserve to celebrate the Fourth of July and America,” said Derrell Hartwick, president and CEO of the Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce.

The parade traditionally features 100 entries, but in an effort to decrease street congestion, the Chamber capped entries at 60.

After the parade, food and retail vendors, a Ferris wheel, activities for kids, and live music will be set up at Independence Point and City Park until 7 p.m.

As the celebrations come to an end, five vintage aircraft will swoop over Independence Point and perform a missing man flyby.

While residents will miss the firework show, the $80,000 cost was not in the cards this year.

“Obviously the chamber pays for (the fireworks), but we do ask for community donations from businesses, and being the Chamber of Commerce we want to advocate for those businesses,” Hartwick said. “It has been a difficult two and a half months, so the board didn’t feel like it would be the best thing to solicit for donations.”

The Chamber asks those who feel sick to stay home and watch the parade’s live stream on the CDA Chamber of Commerce Facebook page. It also suggests those who do attend to wear a protective mask, consider using cashless vending, and utilize the extra sanitizing stations positioned around town.

Idaho is expected to exit the fourth phase of Gov. Brad Little’s Idaho Rebounds economic reopening Friday.

If Kootenai County stays in phase four, the Chamber is considering increasing precautions.

“We trust our community to be safe,” Hartwick said. “We trust them and since our numbers are low compared to the state, the nation, and the region, we see that our community is smart enough to understand and they’ll respect everyone else’s distance.”