Jessica Cejnar Andrews / Friday, June 30, 2023 @ 1:33 p.m. / Celebrity, Community
Crescent City Independence Day Festivities Abound With a Parade, Festival and Fireworks
Denise Doyle-Schnacker and the Redwood Happiness Initiative sprinkle good feelings at the 2021 Fourth of July Parade. They're looking for a few good sprinklers this year. | File photo: Jessica C. Andrews
Crescent City’s largest celebration of the year — the Fourth of July parade, festival and fireworks show — is set to go off with a bang thanks to an army of volunteers, city staff, nonprofits and local businesses
The unofficial festivities began on Thursday with the start of the Jed Smith Mountain Men Tall Trees Rendezvous at the Rod and Gun Club in Smith River and continue with Crescent City Art’s annual show at the Cultural Center on Saturday and Sunday.
The Del Norte Child Care Council’s Sand Castles by the Sea provides non-competitive family fun from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday below the staircase at Stamps Way and Howe Drive in Beachfront Park — follow the balloons.
Once you’ve cleaned off the sand, head to the Chamber of Commerce’s annual Deck Party from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Monday on the Cultural Center lawn. Featuring, live music by Gotcha Covered, a raffle, bar and refreshments, the deck party is a family reunion of sorts for many Del Norters.
Official 4th of July activities on Monday and Tuesday. | Courtesy of the Crescent City-Del Norte Chamber of Commerce
Crescent City’s Independence Day parade kicks off with a cannon blast at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the downtown area. Come early to snag a piece of pie and some ice cream for $5 at the Del Norte Historical Society’s annual ice cream and homemade pie social from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the museum’s front lawn, 577 H Street.
Independence Day includes a parade, festival in Beachfront Park and a fireworks display on Tuesday.
“It’s through the generosity of all the sponsors, local businesses that make this all happen, so support your local businesses,” chamber executive director Cindy Vosburg told the Wild Rivers Outpost on Friday. “It takes over $50,000 to put on this event between the fireworks and the port o’potties and cleanup and security. The efforts of the city of Crescent City crew is amazing, how they help put this thing together and do a lot of the heavy lifting.”
The parade lineup begins at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday at 9th and H Street. At 10 a.m., as the parade begins wending its way down H Street, the 5K Fun Run will begin at the north end of Pebble Beach Drive. Runners will join the parade route to finish the event.
Those participating in the parade are reminded that K Street is the designated quiet area. People are asked to refrain from shooting guns or making any other loud noises.
The festival in Beachfront Park starts at noon with Cow Chip Bingo and the Fireman Water Ball Challenge starting at 1 p.m.
Parade awards will be announced at 1:50 p.m. The festival closes at 5:45 p.m. and the fireworks begin at dusk.
Roads reopen to traffic at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Finally, when the party’s over, the Redwood Parks Conservancy is asking for volunteers to pick up trash and debris along a 2-mile stretch of South Beach and Crescent Beach on Wednesday.
RPC will install trash receptacles ahead of the holiday activities and will talk to visitors about the importance of “leave no trace,” a nonprofit news release stated.
“Each year Crescent City and Del Norte County welcome anywhere between 5,000 to 15,000 visitors to celebrate the 4th of July,” RPC states, estimating that as many as 1,000 people can congregate on the beach during the festivities. “It is crucial to the health of our beaches that a waste disposal plan be implemented as it is estimated a total of 1,500 pounds of trash will be produced on the beaches over the holiday.”
The beach cleanup will be held from 10 a.m.-noon Wednesday. Meet at 110 Anchor Way in the Crescent City Harbor. To RSVP, click here or email volunteer@redwoodparks.org.
“We get thousands of visitors here and there are thousands of people shooting off their own fireworks,” Vosburg said. “As the chamber, we pay the nonprofits to clean up Beachfront Park after the 4th and keep it clean, but there’s really nobody that takes care of the beaches other than volunteers. That’s why it’s important for the community to come out and clean up the beaches after their big parties at the 4th of July so that stuff doesn’t get in the water.”
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