And the winner is…
Most Creative
Most Patriotic
Another successful 4th of July Parade! Despite the rainy weather and cool temps, hundreds of spectators braved the conditions for one of our longest parades yet. With over 90 parade entries, the lineup stretched almost 2 miles long!
The procession began with the American Legion Riders, and the presenting of the American flag by the Color Guard of American Legion Post 212. Our National Anthem was sung by Adeline Bjorklund from Nevis High School, then the festivities began! From local businesses, farms, sports teams, a marching band, dance groups, the military, and so much more, every type of float you could think of was in the lineup! The parade was wrapped up with the Park Rapids Fire Department’s trucks, and spectators went on their way with bags full of candy and smiles on their faces!
As the parade made its way through Downtown Park Rapids, parade entries showed their American spirit through their floats! Viewers were able to vote for the “Most Creative” and “Most Patriotic” floats in a contest presented by the Gartner Realty Team and Birdie’s Mini Golf! After tallying up all of the votes, we have our winners! Winner of the “Most Creative” float goes to Cuzzin’s Candy, and “Most Patriotic” float goes to S and S Transport. Each organization will receive a free entry into next years’ parade, as well as a feature on the Park Rapids Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce’s social media pages!
We’d like to give a huge thank you to our sponsors, Park Rapids Public Works, Police Department, Fire Department, and all of the volunteers for making this event possible for yet another year. This year, we had 4 levels of sponsorship: Grand Finale, Roman Candle, Cherry Bomb, and Bottle Rocket. At the Grand Finale level were Gartner Real Estate Team and Birdie’s Mini Golf. At the Roman Candle Level were Essentia Health, Arvig, and CHI St. Joseph’s Health. At the Cherry Bomb Level were Simonson Station Stores, Headwaters Golf Club, Minnesota Power, Citizens National Bank, Northern Pines Sanitation, Coborn’s, Park Rapids Downtown Business Association, 2nd Street Stage, Northwoods Bank, and the Park Rapids American Legion. At the Bottle Rocket Level were Cole Papers, Park Rapids Walker Eye Clinic, Coldwell Banker Clack & Dennis Real Estate, and Northview Bank.
Thank you to all who sponsored and attended our parade. We can’t wait to see you again next year!