Annual celebration
Veterans march at the head of a long line of Independence Day parade entrants, leading the procession down Main Street.
GABRIEL DAVIS/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
A crowd of people lined up in front of Othello City Hall and along the majority of Main Street to watch Tuesday’s Fourth of July parade and its host of local businesses and organizations.
The Fourth of July Car Show in Lions Park showcased a variety of vehicles for eventgoers to look at, which were eventually judged. 25 trophies were awarded in total.
A participant in the Fourth of July Volleyball Tournament, a line of volleyball games hosted by O-Town Volleyball, serves the ball to the opposing team.
Members of the community line up for food at the west end of Lions Park, where the bulk of the festivities took place on Tuesday.
A raffle winner pies Othello Mayor Shawn Logan in the face while Othello Chamber of Commerce members look on.
OTHELLO — Othello organizations, residents and visitors marched down Main Street during Tuesday’s Fourth of July parade before moving the festivities to Lions Park for the remainder of the Independence Day celebration.
Heather Miller, president-elect of the Greater Othello Chamber of Commerce, which organized the Fourth of July celebration, said the number of participants – about 40 entrants – in the parade was larger than in previous years.
“The parade, I think, was one of the largest parades we’ve had, and the community always comes out and lines the streets,” she said.
The parade featured many local businesses, government agencies, clubs and sports from Othello schools and individuals running for office. Participants blared horns, sirens and music all along Main Street as crowd members waved and kids raced to grab candy thrown out by parade participants.
Miller explained that the primary motivation behind the celebration was to bring the community together. She also described her favorite aspects of the parade.
“I love seeing the little kids on their bikes and all of the kids that get to participate with their parents in the parade, because what kid doesn’t love to walk down the street and be in a parade?” Miller said.
The day’s festivities began with a scheduled Fourth of July workout at 6 a.m., followed by a Freedom Run with one-mile, 5-kilometer and 10-kilometer run options.
The rest of the day’s scheduled events and ongoing activities were located in Lions Park. They included a flag-raising ceremony, the third annual Fourth of July Car Show and the Fourth of July Volleyball Tournament. The many booths and vendors in Lions Park opened up for eventgoers..
Johnny Mendoza, a longtime Othello local, described why he attended Tuesday’s event.
“I live here. I’ve been part of the Othello community for 30 years, and it’s a nice thing for the community.”
Children from The Dance Sette Studio, an Othello-based dance studio that teaches hip-hop and jazz, performed a series of dances on stage. Kids Zone, a set of events for children and family members, started with a pie-eating contest that featured two age brackets for kids and one for adults.
Jason Jordan, returning champion and this year’s winner of the adult bracket of the pie eating contest – his fourth win overall – spoke about why he returns every year to celebrate the Fourth.
“I love it. It’s so fun seeing the whole community all come out for one thing, and as the day goes on it just gets more and more crowded. Just seeing everybody out here is so fun.”
After the pie-eating contest, one individual was picked by raffle to hit Mayor Shawn Logan in the face with a pie before the Kids Zone finished with a Disney costume contest.
Lions Park also hosted a cornhole contest then live music until the fireworks show. Several local and regional musicians held free performances for the community throughout the day, including Tony Madrigal, Alysen Hesselroth, Fatfox Band and Grupo Sigglo.
Speaking during her first lull in customers a couple of hours into the celebration in the park, Birdie Fought, who co-owns Classic Grill’n with her husband Tim, discussed the importance of events such as Tuesday’s Fourth of July celebration for food vendors and members of the community.
“I think they’re imperative, because in our community we have limited choices in restaurants, so the food trucks and vendors from all over the Columbia Basin offer people new choices.”
Birdie explained that she was hoping the large crowds and consistent customers would last through the day.
Speaking the day after the event, Jackie Wilhelm, chamber manager for the Othello Chamber of Commerce, said she was satisfied with the celebration as a whole.
“I think it was a very successful day. I think people were really happy with it.”
Wilhelm described the positive feedback the Chamber received about the layout of the park and how many vendors participated.
“Vendors from out of town wanted to get on the list for next year. I feel like that means we’re doing something right.”
Wilhelm also expressed excitement with the Chamber’s plans for the next Fourth of July Celebration.
“We’re already planning how to make it bigger and better for next year.”
Gabriel Davis may be reached at gdavis@columbiabasinherald.com. Download the Columbia Basin Herald app on iOS and Android.
Correction: An upload error occurred with this story and an incorrect photo was entered. The proper photo has been exchanged to correct the error.
