Newspaper Clipping - Newspaper Clipping Scan - Excellent Weather for Eagan's Three-Day 4th of July Celebration - 7/4/1976Excellent Weather For
Eagan's Three -Day '4th'
By CAROL BRAUN
Staff Writer
(See photos elsewhere)
EAGAN — The sun smiled
warmly on all three days of the
Eagan July Fourth Bicentennial
celebration last weekend.
The traditional parade and
fireworks was expanded by the
July Fourth Association to in-
clude a carnival at Cedar Pond,
junior olympics for children and
a street dance Saturday evening.
The carnival, which was set
up by Harlan Shows but included
booths sponsored by community
organizations, ran Thursday and
Friday evening and all day Sat-
urday and Sunday.
Saturday, the day of the par -
ade, began with an 8:30 a.m.
1 flag ceremony at Cedar Pond, in
1 which the Eagan Lions present-
ed their gift of a permanent
40 -foot flag pole and 50 -star
flag to the Charles J. Riebel
VFW Post on behalf of the city.
Don Klober of the Lions and
Harold Thies of VFW Post 047
raised the flag as it was saluted
by the audience.
The community itself was the
focus of the Eagan parade as
a multitude of churches, civic
organizations and neighbor-
hood groups got in the act.
Ed White of the Minnesota
Vikings was the Grand Marshal
for the parade and visiting
queens were on hand from Rob -
binsdale, Apple Valley and Rose-
mount. Other visitors included
Osman Shriner clowns and the
St. Paul Scout Drum and Bugle
Corps.
Participants from the summer
park and rec tumbling and dance
pro ams marched in red white
an ue out its. Orvilla Home
had a float, a decorated cabin
cruiser pulled on a boat trailer
carrying waving, life- jacketed
children and the slogan, "Let's
keep afloat another 200 years."
Neighborhood floats and units
played an important part in the
parade. A large Flint, La. unit
included a trio of boys imitating
the famous painting "The Spirit
of '76" and a float with a girl
dressed as the Statue of Liberty.
Sandstone Dr. pulled an enor-
mous talking Uncle Sam that
wished America a happy birth-
day.
There were a number of an-
tique cars in the parade. Several
4 -H groups had units and the
Happy Bluebird group rode a
float decorated with 1,000 hand-
made paper flowers. The Rose-
mount High School Band was
part of the festivities and the
Diamond T ranch had a large
showing of horses and wagons,
including Paul Revere.
The Junior Olympics, which
ran all afternoon Saturday and
Sunday, were a cooperative ven-
ture of the Fourth of July Asso-
ciation, the city park and ' rec
department and the CAA. Chil-
dren from grades one through
nine spent two afternoons com-
peting in athletic events such
as races, and non - athletic
games like kick the shoe and
the sore toe race.
The weekend celebration end-
ed July 4 with a fireworks dis-
play over Cedar Pond.