With just days to go before the start of Fourth of July activities, organizers still are looking for more volunteers and sponsors — and, of course, hundreds of people ready to run, paddle, stuff their faces with pies, throw pies at public officials and everything else that goes into the holiday celebration.
“You can never have too many volunteers,” said Tommy Wells, executive director of the chamber of commerce, which organizes the events calendar.
As of Monday, the chamber still needed volunteers to run the log roll and greased pole events on Tuesday, July 2, and the “crazy craft” races on Wednesday, July 3.
“We’ll wait until the very last moment” before canceling the events if no one volunteers, Wells said. “We’re hoping someone will step forward.”
In addition to a few more volunteers, the chamber continues to accept donations and sponsorships to pay for prizes at multiple events, said Kimberly Szczatko, the chamber’s treasurer.
The chamber hands out about $7,500 in cash prizes at Fourth of July events, including the street games, toddler games and junior Olympics, she said.
Anyone willing to help with donations or volunteer time can call the chamber at 907-874-3901.
The schedule of events is in this week’s Sentinel (Pages 6 and 7) and will be updated and printed in the July 3 edition too.
Among the holiday highlights will be the royalty fundraising raffle prize drawings at 6 p.m. at the Nolan Center on Wednesday, July 3. Kayla Young and Alicia Armstrong have been busy all month selling raffle tickets and raising money to help put on the Fourth.
The evening will include a talent show; call or text Bonnie Ritchie at 907-305-1211 or Haley Reeves at 406-262-4360 to sign up to perform in the show.
Later that evening, the fireworks will go off at dusk, with a couple of warning shots 10 minutes before the show begins. The fireworks will be shot off from the water in front of the City Dock.
The parade on the Fourth will start at 11 a.m., but floats need to line up on Campbell Drive by 10 a.m. for judging, Szczatko said. People who just want to walk in the parade without a float or costume for judging can get in the line after 10 a.m. but before the parade begins, she said.
The theme for this year’s Fourth is “Home Where We Belong.”
The schedule of events starts with an Alaska Airlines-sponsored golf tournament at Muskeg Meadows on Saturday and Sunday, June 29-30. The last event of the week will be the street dance on July 4 starting at 8 p.m. at the downtown pavilion and Lynch Street, with music by the Wrangell band ShotrocK.
While the races, runs, paddles, wiener toss, pies, children’s fishing derbies, 3-on-3 basketball and all the other events are time specific, each on a scheduled day, there are two holiday displays that will be up all week.
Quilts by the Stikine Stitchers will be on display at several downtown businesses through July 10. And the Red, White and Blue Fair of handmade goods will be open to the public Saturday, June 29, through Wednesday, July 3, at the Nolan Center.
Anyone who wants to display their sewing, crocheting, art, jewelry, photography, baked goods, canned foods — most anything handmade — needs to bring the items to the Nolan Center on Thursday, June 27. The items will be judged the next day, with ribbons pinned to the displays.
And if they want, the creators can have their handmade goods shipped at no cost and entered in the Southeast Alaska State Fair in Haines later in July.
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