To most people, the 4th of July means parades, fireworks, grilling, family and flying the Stars and Stripes, and residents of Central Minnesota are no different.

 

Ron Simons, who works for the Clearwater branch of Lake Central Bank, will be spending the morning of the fourth driving the Lake Central Bank armored car in the Annandale 4th of July parade.

 

After the parade, the rest of the day will be spent in family tradition, with burgers on the grill, heading back into Annandale in the evening for the Fabulous Armadillos performance in the city park, and watching the fireworks over Pleasant Lake.

 

Clear Lake Firefighter Kari Mechtel has spent the past 16 years or so attending the “golf cart” parade at the Travelers Country Club on the Mississippi. 

 

“Each year the Clear Lake Fire Dept. brings out a truck or two,” she said. “We’re the biggest attraction at that parade. Travelers Country Club is always so pleased to see the department take an hour or two to attend their parade, and to see everyone’s faces when they see the fire truck makes it worthwhile.”

 

When Clearwater resident Cate Laudenbach’s children were young they would attend the 4th of July parade at St. Joseph, then head over to her uncle’s house for a big party. At the end of the evening they would have a huge bonfire and watch the St. Cloud fireworks. Although she hasn’t been to the parade in a while, the rest of her family’s tradition continues.

 

“When I was young we would have a family cookout for the 4th of July and grill Mexican food,” shared Clearwater Library aide Tara Fogal. 

 

“We would go camping at an Illinois state park, which my mom’s family has gone to since forever, and play horseshoes and other games. They’d make carnitas in a giant cast iron metal pot which we’d then roll up and eat right off the grill.”

 

Although Fogal still celebrates the holiday with friends and family, she hasn’t been able to attend her family’s traditional get together since she moved to Minnesota. 

 

“When our kids were younger we’d have a picnic brunch and go to the St. Joseph 4th of July parade and fireworks,” said Ann Nelson. “Now we like to go to the Annandale parade.”

 

She said this year is going to be a bit different, as there was going to be a family gathering at her niece’s lake home. In the evening, the group will head into Annandale to watch the fireworks, although Nelson herself is planning on opting out of that part of the day.

 

Clearwater resident Crystal Loehrer will be spending part of the 4th of July working at The Kettle restaurant, but later she’ll be heading over to Pearl Lake where her boyfriend’s family lives. 

 

“We’ll be barbequing and having a horse shoe tournament,” she said. “In the evening we have a front row seat to watch the fireworks over the lake.”

 

Some residents take the opportunity to travel for the holiday. Michele Juip and her husband, Gary, are spending the Fourth at Fort Custer in Battle Creek, MI where the Battle Creek Field of Flight Air Show & Balloon Festival will be going on.

 

“They have huge hot air balloon launches and plane fly-ins,” she explained. “My husband has never been there and I think he’s really going to like it.”

 

The 4th of July brings a sense of national pride to most, and many choose to show that pride by flying their country’s flag. Clearwater Hardware and Bait has a number of U.S. flags available for purchase, from small, hand-held versions to large varieties for mounting on flag poles.

 

“We sell 90% of our flags Memorial Day weekend and the 4th of July,” said owner Ed Goff. “We’ve gone through a lot of flags this year.”

 

No matter how one chooses to spend the day, the Fourth is a time to reflect on what it means to be an American, be thankful for family, friends and country, and have some good old-fashioned fun.