Thunder rolled within an hour of Brainerd's Fourth of July parade Tuesday afternoon, but severe weather steered clear to the north of the annual event drawing thousands to downtown Brainerd.
The thermometer read 84 degrees as the Disabled American Veterans and Veterans of Foreign Wars color guard led the Independence Day parade, with partly cloudy skies overhead.
More than 60 businesses, organizations and floats participated in what was the first parade under the leadership of new Brainerd Community Action executive director Holly Holm.
Holm stood at the entrance to the parking lot of Kiwanis Park, marking parade entries as they staged their vehicles and floats. With no previous parades to compare to, Holm said she felt setup for the event went smoothly and participants with years of parade experience helped achieve that.
"Variety was the whole key to this," Holm said concerning the order of floats. "As registrations were coming in, you just have to kind of wing it. But it actually came together pretty easily, I thought."
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Near the beginning of the route, 4-year-old Sheldon Karnowski of Brainerd was delighted as fire trucks sounded sirens and excitedly pointed out an eagle painted on the side of one. His mother Erin Karnowski explained her strategy for locating at the corner of College Drive and East River Road.
"Last year, we were too close to the beginning so we didn't get as much candy. And I have a 4-year-old and he loves candy," Karnowski said. "At the end, there's sometimes no candy left."
Farther along the route on East River Road, Brooke Brandt of St. Cloud sat in the shade of the trees along the Mississippi River's edge as her four children gathered sweets. Brandt said as a Staples native, she grew up coming to the Brainerd Fourth of July celebration. Her two daughters-8-year-old Taneighya Lewis and 6-year-old Taleah Lewis --- sported elaborate red, white and blue braids artfully blended with their own hair. Brandt said she spent hours creating the hairstyles.
"It's the first time with the patriotic colors, but I've done it with other colors," Brandt said. "I braid their hair all the time."
Kellena and Janey Gerwing of Pierz sat on the other side of the street under the blazing sun. Janey Gerwing had a blanket over her legs, which she said was softening the sun's rays. The Gerwings enjoy sharing the holiday with loved ones, said Kellena Gerwing.
"I love just being together with family and friends," she said. "We come for the whole thing, we stay for the parade and then we go to the fireworks. We just make a day of it."
On Laurel Street, Chris Macy of Brainerd sat in shade cast by large trees enjoying the breeze with several family members. Macy said the Brainerd parade was the second of the day for his clan, which previously attended nearby Crosby's event. Macy grew up attending the parade, and is now passing along the tradition to the next generation.
"My little boy loves them," Macy said. "He loves anything with wheels, so we come out and watch the big trucks go by."
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When it comes to his favorite part of the holiday, Macy pointed to a very important aspect-the food, of course.
"I like eating excess hotdogs, which is socially acceptable on this day," Macy said.
As the parade proceeded down Laurel Street, replicant train cars, a large bouncy castle, a troupe of trick motorcyclists and bands were among those entertaining the crowds. Previous paradegoers noted the crowds appeared smaller than in years past, perhaps a function of the holiday falling on a Tuesday. This did nothing to put a damper on the patriotic spirits, however-parade marcher Sherree Voss of Buffalo said this was her favorite part of walking the parade route. Voss walked alongside the last float in the parade, representing Pop Tops for Veterans in support of polytrauma rehabilitation.
"It's a good time," Voss said. "It's great to see people come out. They've very patriotic, and it's cool."
Fire in the sky
Five hours later under a waxing moon, the community reconvened for the fireworks display. Mother Nature once again displayed its power and potential to put a damper on outdoor celebrations, with flashes of lightning illuminating clouds to the distant south. But it was the people's night for a national ritual, and the weather stayed in check.
A preamble of smaller fireworks displays burst forth from the waiting public as musical headliners The Dweebs finished up a set of classic rock tunes.
Singer Amanda Longie launched into her rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" before professionals from World Class Fireworks-Flashing Thunder launched pyrotechnics from Don Adamson Field.
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The fireworks display lasted about a half-hour and lit up the hill behind Brainerd High School, dotted with faces turned skyward. The booms of the rockets bounced from the high rise apartments on East River Road. Slapping sounds of hands vanquishing mosquitoes were as ubiquitous as the oohs and ahhs of the crowd.
For a brief moment following the last of the dramatic bangs, smoke lingered and silence reigned. And then, cheers and applause ricocheted from one side of the football field to the other, and from the north of the city to the south. Another year of an independent United States, commemorated.
Brainerd Fire Chief Tim Holmes reported a small grass fire was extinguished by firefighters during the display, but otherwise the event went off without a hitch.
