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Saturday, July 5, 2008

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A great day to celebrate a birthday

BY AMY FREDMAN

Staff intern

The blare of sirens, cool spray of water, scrambling of children for candy, reverberating thump of drums and proud displays of red, white and blue filled Brainerd's streets with the sights and sounds of the Fourth of July American Celebration parade.

Later Friday night, the Don Adamson field hosted music featuring The District, Bill "The King" Musel and Adamas Tres. F-16 jets from Duluth flew from south to north over the football field and tipped their wings at the crowds during the live music performances.

The night's arrival brought with it a vibrant display of fireworks. The fireworks were sponsored by the city of Brainerd and city of Baxter and lasted about 20 minutes.

Painted with the American flag, Molly Rudolph of Baxter smiled as units of the Brainerd 4th of July Parade passed by on Laurel Street Friday. .
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Brainerd Dispatch/Steve Kohls

During the Fourth of July festivities, it was evident that high gas prices took no toll on the number of people flocking to the celebration, as most people at Brainerd's Fourth of July parade saw no difference in numbers.

"It's the Fourth," said Kim Bredsen, 18, of Maple Grove. "Gas prices aren't really a factor."

"We always come up," said Carol Hill, Rush City. She and her husband Bill were not to be deterred by the gas prices. "We've been coming up for years."

Nancy Cross of Brainerd Community Action confirmed that the outpouring of people was average, citing that about 30,000 were in attendance. Cross also said that there were about 100 parade units. The parade lasted two hours and 15 minutes.

To raise money for the event, parade organizers reserved three parking lots close to the festivities where people could purchase a reserved spot for $20 in advance and $25 on July 4. During the parade, however, the lots were far from full.

"That's too much money," said Cory Villow, who was grilling at his reserved parking spot. "Look at all the empty spots." Villow said that $5 to $10 dollars would be a more reasonable price. "They'd make more money," he said.

For Ed and Mary Spilman, Breezy Point, the parking spot was well worth the price. "We wouldn't have come otherwise," said Mary Spilman as the couple lounged in lawn chairs on their truck bed while watching the parade. They were happy not to have to fight the crowd. "We're staying right here for the fireworks tonight, too," Mary said.

Fireworks at Don Adamson Field Friday night rounded out the Brainerd Fourth of July activities.
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Brainerd Dispatch/Kelly Humphrey

Cross said that many people told her that they appreciated the opportunity to come and go from their reserved parking. "They encouraged me to do it again," she said.

During the parade, kids scampered around the sidewalks, grabbing candy, waving flags and giggling while they were sprayed with water from the parade units. "This parade is better than I've seen in awhile," said Jane Schmidt as she watched her grandchildren enjoy the parade, adding that the parade was geared toward kids. "There's more floats and an abundance of things for kids. ... Just look at the streets. They're just lined with kids," she said.

Many people in the crowd said that they enjoyed the live entertainment this year, with three drumlines, the Blues Brothers and other live groups performing along the route, eliciting enthusiastic applause from the crowd.

Countless areas along the parade route were roped off to reserve spots for groups who had staked out their preferred parade site in advance. "My daughter marked this off on Monday," said Lizbeth Christenson of her daughter Beth Jones, though Christenson said the family was not the first to stake claim to a spot. "We do it every year," she said. "This is our fifth year in the same spot."

Traditions like Christenson's are central to many family Fourth of July celebrations. "What's so nice about our celebration is that it's hometown," said Cross. "Our goal is to build memories. There's not an adult alive who doesn't have those memories."

AMY FREDMAN may be reached at amy.fredman@brainerddispatch.com or at 855-5866.

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