An All-Day Affair
Events Throughout County Mark America’s BirthdayBy Dave Emke, demke@post-journal.com
Article Photos
Whether it was by foot, by float or by boat, many area residents participated in holiday festivities around the county Saturday.
And Mother Nature, after a week of rainy weather, even helped out by setting a beautiful backdrop for the events.
The day started a bit on the overcast and cool side, but that didn't stop nearly 400 people from taking part in the annual Lakewood Family YMCA Firecracker Run.
For many, the event is a family affair, with parents and kids taking part in the run side by side. This is the case for Brian and Allison Duggan of Summit, N.J., who ran Saturday with their children Mary, Katie and Sophie. The family visits Lakewood around this time every year, and they have made the Firecracker Run part of their annual tradition.
''We run together, then Mary sprints at the end,'' Duggan said about his kids' involvement. He and the children ran the two-mile race while his wife branched off and ran the full 10K.
''It's good exercise, and it gets us ready for the rest of the happy Fourth of July festivities,'' Mrs. Duggan said.
In Mayville, just a short drive up Chautauqua Lake, the festivities began with a parade. The village's annual July Fourth parade included, as usual, an assortment of fun sights for the whole family - motorcycles, classic cars, fire trucks and marching bands, just to name a few.
And, of course, there was plenty of candy flying through the air for the youngsters to enjoy.
Melissa Froah of Mayville said she has been coming to the parade for at least 15 years. She was there this year with a horde of family members including children, nieces and nephews, and she said the parade is just a part of a full day of family activities.
''We go back and have a picnic at my house,'' she said of what the family does once the parade is completed. ''Then we walk around down in the park and just kind of look around, see if there's anyone we know and talk. It's a chance to get together with the family and reconnect with the community. Then we enjoy the fireworks at night-time.''
Mayville's Lakeside Park had a full slate of music, food and fun after the parade. Magic shows and face-painting supplemented amusement rides for the kids and carnival fare for everyone to enjoy.
Residents of Findley Lake had a chance to enjoy a parade of their own Saturday, as spectators lined the waterfront to enjoy the lake's 19th annual boat parade. This year's theme was college football, and boats were elaborately decorated to represent schools including Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, Florida and Notre Dame, as well as the fictional University of Findley Lake and ''Wossamotta U'' from The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle.
After being privately run for the first 18 years, the parade was taken over this year by the Findley Lake Community Foundation.
''We decided that we couldn't let the tradition die, so we picked it up,'' said Michele Vonk of the Findley Lake Community Foundation. ''It's a big crowd-pleaser here in town, and all the way around - a lot of people just sit on their docks and can't wait for the boats to come by.''
The parade was just one of several events to take place in Findley Lake on Saturday. The local chamber of commerce held a duck race earlier in the day, and the evening was capped off with flares lit around the lake and a fireworks display at 10 p.m.
''The Fourth of July is big,'' Mrs. Vonk said. ''It's a whole-day affair.''
