Old-fashioned American Spirit
Brennan Chandler rushes to gather candy as the Spirit Lake Old Fashioned Fourth of July Parade goes by.
JOSA SNOW/Press
North Idaho Saddle Mule Club mules Calvin and Hobbes pull a cart as Valerie Larson steers and Hadley Reed rides along to wave at spectators in the Spirit Lake Old Fashioned Fourth of July Parade.
Kevin and Breanne Nelson smile as they prepare for the Spirit Lake Fourth of July Parade to begin.
The Sturm family participates in the Spirit Lake Fourth of July parade every year in a family tradition since 2014.
Rathdrum Parks and Recreation Director Eric Singer with Maddie Ellison prepare to march in the Spirit Lake Old Fashioned Fourth of July Parade.
Bexley and Aylla Towe spin with excitement during the Spirit Lake Fourth of July Parade.
American Legion Post 149 Second Vice Lenard Hoener, his wife and Sgt. at Arms Tracy Hoener, and their dogs Midnight and Mily walked in the Spirit Lake Old Fashioned Fourth of July Parade with their Legion.
Co-owner of Chuck Wagon Old Fashioned Soda Christina Griffin signed up as a vendor in the Old Fashioned Fourth of July market to introduce her new business to the community she grew up in.
A sidecar lawnmower moves along with the Spirit Lake Fourth of July parade.
Children make a mad dash to pick up candy thrown by a Spirit Lake parade unit.
Kids shouted with joy as they caught candy, waved to ponies, horses and mini-mules or yelled for the Timberlake High School Cheer Squad Tuesday as the Fourth of July parade marched through Spirit Lake.
A Spirit Lake Police cruiser led the charge from Timberlake Elementary to City Park to kick off Independence Day festivities.
American Legion Post 149's Lenard Hoener marched in line behind the cruiser with his comrades.
“What’s fun is handing out candy to the kids. It’s just watching the joy,” Hoener said. “This year, I bought five bags of candy and we still ran out before reaching the last few kids. Next year I’m going to get five or six buckets.”
Hoener has eight children and 14 grandchildren and seeing the kids' faces light up during the parade sparks holiday joy in him.
“What really gets me is the support,” his wife, Tracy Hoener, said. “I’ve always supported America. What gets me is seeing all the people supporting the Fourth of July.”
Tracy is the American Legion Post 149 sergeant at arms and marched in the parade with her husband and the post's veterans. Her father and grandfather were in the military and she says celebrating patriotism warms her heart.
The parade was saturated with patriotism, both en route and along the sidelines.
Paul Sturm and his family have participated in the parade since 2014 because it seemed like a fun thing to do, and each year they try to outdo previous wardrobe choices.
“Spirit Lake had a parade, so we got in,” Sturm said.
His family all wore red, white and blue swag, coordinated by Sturm’s daughter, Tara Nelson, who buys wardrobe pieces from thrift stores for the family and her children.
“We do have to add to it every year, because now that they’re teenagers they get bored,” Nelson said.
Some of Sturm’s family drove in from Pullman and others flew in from Virginia to be in the parade and celebrate in true family tradition.
Other parade spectators showed up in full-flag attire to watch with just as much family flair. Children dressed in stars and stripes cheered the parade on.
“We have one friend that’s in the parade, so we’re out celebrating the Fourth of July with family and friends,” onlooker Alexeus Chandler said.
Her son, Brennan Chandler, pounced on pieces of candy scattered through the first corner of the parade route.
Parade participants like Nelson’s Old West Hardware, the Christian Motorcyclists Association or the Rathdrum HICO gas station traveled along Fourth Street through the neighborhood and around City Park.
As the parade came to an end, spectators poured into an Old-Fashioned Market where they could buy crochet animals, all-natural soda or kettle corn and support their community or local businesses. Participating businesses introduced themselves to the community while celebrating their town.
“We started in March, so this is the first Fourth of July that we’ve done,” said Christina Griffin, co-owner of Chuck Wagon Soda. The old-fashioned soda company had a wagon booth in the market. “My husband and I both grew up here so we had to do this.”
Griffin can be a bit traditional in her marketing style, she said. She wants to reach her community in the old-fashioned way — with a smile and a handshake at her local holiday market.
And the community showed up to support her, she said.
