The International Falls Fourth of July celebration is already being planned, and this time around there is more to celebrate besides our nation's birthday. This year marks the 200th anniversary of the writing of The Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key. The festivities will also honor our Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans.
This year's celebration in International Falls will be held over the course of four days, running July 2-5, and will include all of the usual gatherings and events held in the past such as booths, parades, beer gardens, children's karaoke, the Bronco 5K Run/Walk, and a kid's fun run.
July 2 events
The U.S. and Canada will face off against one another during the Peace Pull tug-of-war competitions. This match will be held in Fort Frances and International Falls as a part of "Peaceful Border Days” to celebrate the shared border between the two cities and the two nations' independence days, Canada Day July 1 and U.S. Independence Day July 4.
The event will begin at 5 p.m. at the Pat Roche Landing, as it has in previous years. A new pull will replace the celebrity pull this year. The military/veteran pull will consist of military veterans on the U.S. side and the Lake Superior Scottish Regiment Battalion Group on the Canadian side. This new pull will occur first, right after the VFW Post 2948 color guard presentation and the two nations' national anthems.
The community and power pulls will be back for another year. The community pull will be made up of the general public along with local dignitaries and celebrities. The power pull will be made up of 40 strong men and women on either side of Rainy River.
Even though the pulls start at 5 p.m., the fun starts an hour earlier at 4 p.m. There will be performances by the Sloughgrass Band, Darcie Schulz's dancers and the Falls High School cheerleaders. Before the event there will also be a free community supper, dessert venders, and a land-based kiddie pull for kids ages 5-13.
Those who wish to be in the power pull are encouraged to register by filling out forms which can be obtained either at the Chamber Office or at peacepull.org.
July 3 events
Booths in Smokey Bear Park will be open from 2-11:30 p.m. This year, corn dogs will be served in the park, a popular item which was missed during last year's festivities. Beer gardens will also be open at 4 p.m. To register a booth for the event, call Becky Roeder with the Rotary Club at 218-341-0880.
Children's karaoke will take place in two brackets for children 11 & under, and 12-16 at the bandshell starting at 4 p.m. Participants can call John Streiff with King of the Road Entertainment at 218-324-0216. Prizes will be given at the event for first, second, and third place for both age groups.
Fourth of July events
Independence Day celebrations will start out with the Bronco 5k Run/Walk at 8 a.m. at the Falls High School track, followed by the kids run at 9 a.m. The 5K costs $20 to enter, but the kids run is free. Participants can call Jen Erickson at 218-324-0221, or pick up registration forms at the community education office in Falls High School, or at northlandrunner.com.
Afterwards, food, craft, and game booths will be open all day in Smokey Bear Park. They will officially open at 11 a.m., but people can expect some booths to be open earlier around 9 a.m. The beer gardens will open at the same time as the previous day, however, at 4 p.m.
A new event will be a part of the fun this year. Go-kart races will be held at the Rainy Lake Oil Speedway from 4-7 p.m.
Two Independence Day parades will take place to celebrate our nation's birthday. The main parade will start at 1 p.m., with cars, floats and more being lead by the color guard. The parade will congregate beforehand on Eighth Avenue. People can expect different attractions in the parade to follow the parade's theme of honoring Afghanistan and Iraq War veterans and celebrating the 200th anniversary of the writing of our nation's anthem.
Floats, marching units, and vehicles which want to be in the main parade can contact Kevin Adee at 218-283-2035 or 218-244-0684.
There will be a kiddie parade before the main parade, and will have prizes for all children who participate. Children who would like to be in the Kiddie Parade can call Nancy Rognerud with the Rotary Club at 218-324-2543. Same day parade entries are welcome.
The band Dances with the Shamrocks will perform from 8:30 p.m. to midnight at the beer garden. Then at 10 p.m. fireworks will start in the clearing near the FHS track.
July 5 events
Riverfest will be kicking off on Saturday, the day after Independence Day. The gates will open to the Irvin N. Anderson Amphitheater at 2:30 p.m. The Mike Ure Band, a Canadian country-rock band will kickoff the event at 3:30 p.m., followed by Lamont Cranston, a blues recording artist, at 5:00 p.m. This leads up to the Little River Band, which will begin their performance at 7 p.m. Tickets for the event in the Falls can be found at KGHS-KSDM Radio, City Drug, Backus Community Center, and in Fort Francis at Betty's of Fort Francis, and Northwoods Gallery & Gifts.
Area events
Besides all of the events happening in International Falls, the communities of Big Falls and Birchdale also have Fourth of July celebrations which are open to all visitors.
Birchdale
Birchdale kicks off its day of events with “America's Parade” at 11 a.m., which will include live music from the Fort Francis Bag Pipers. Anyone is allowed to come and include any antique cars or equipment for floats to be in the parade. Participants can line up at the church in Birchdale at 11 a.m. before the parade starts.
Following the parade, everyone is invited to the “World's Greatest Potluck”, where people are invited to bring their favorite foods to share. The food will be served at the Birchdale Community Building.
There will also be plenty of games for children to come and enjoy into the early afternoon.
Big Falls
Big Falls is once again holding its annual Fourth of July Festival. This year events will range over three days, from July 3-5.
July 3 events kickoff with a potluck supper at the Big Falls Community Building, followed by a street dance with the Canadian band Centre-Line starting at 9 p.m., and continuing until 1 a.m.
To start events on Independence Day, a community auction will begin at 9 a.m. at the pavilion. At 10 a.m. the Olson Memorial Horseshoe Tournament begins along with a treasure hunt with clues posted at the Community Building. At 10 a.m., art, craft, novelty and food stands also open.
At 11 a.m., the kamikaze rubber duck race will begin, along with lunch at the community building, and the opening of a bounce house.
Children's races will start at 12:30 p.m. in front of the Community Building, including games for adults and kids alike near the water tower. Other events happening at 12:30 p.m. include a loader contest and a dunk tank.
A sawdust pile for kids to play in will open at 2 p.m. along with Dave Sandler's sawing expedition and sawing contest.
A kiddie parade will begin at 3:30 p.m., and will include first, second, and third place prizes for the best floats. The main parade will begin to line up a half hour later at 4 p.m., and start at 5 p.m.. Again, first, second, and third place prizes will be given for the best three entries in the three categories Most Patriotic, Most Original, and Best Antique Car. There will also be a traveling trophy for the best float overall. For those who don't wish to participate in or watch the parade, a softball game will begin at 5 p.m. as well.
At 8 p.m. a street dance will kick off, again accompanied by Centre Line, and will go on until 1 a.m. Also, raffle drawings will be held at 9 p.m. at the ballpark. Fireworks will start at dusk.
To finish off the celebrations on July 5, the 5K Mosquito Run will begin at 9 a.m. down Main Street.
