Old Fashioned Fourth of July in Sandpoint, Idaho

July 4, 8:11 PMHistory & Landmarks Travel ExaminerPauline Dolinski

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       An old truck spruced up for the parade in Sandpoint, Idaho.     Photo/Dolinski

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Enjoy an old fashioned Fourth of July in Sandpoint, Idaho, or in a small town close to your home. While the big cities have the spectacular fireworks, concerts worthy of television, and parades of big bands and big floats, the true spirit of Independence Day is alive and well in small towns across the United States.

The Sandpoint parade began promptly at 10:00 AM and lasted exactly one hour. Friends gathered along the sidewalks to wave to family members and neighbors, and the various businesses and social organizations got the chance to strut their stuff. There was no parking problem, because the sign proudly tells visitors that “Sandpoint is a Walking Town,” where runners, walkers, and bicyclists are welcome.

The Albeni Falls Pipes and Drum Band led off the parade, with drums, pipers and dancers in their kilts. Local community groups from both political parties, businesses, and social groups followed with floats, antique cars, bicycles and unicycles, and big, big earthmoving, farm, logging and construction vehicles.

After the parade, the Farmer’s Market was the place to go to buy fresh produce, fruit, and wonderful baked goods to eat for lunch, or to take to the celebrations later in the day. City Beach was the place for bands, rock wall climbing, and family fun.

Fireworks lit the sky with cascades of color over the Lake Pend Oreille well after dusk, which comes late in the evening in this northern Idaho community, just 60 miles south of the Canadian border. The lake had a circle of spectator boats, and City Beach Park was filled with crowds of spectators who walked in across the bridge and exited patiently in a happy mood after the great show. 

The lake is 43 miles long and has 111 miles of shoreline for boating and picnics. The backdrop of the Selkirk Mountains to the north and west, and the Cabinet Mountains to the east provide a beautiful setting for this town of 6,000 residents.

Read more about the Fourth of July:

The History of Fireworks

The Fourth of July in one of Nine Capitals