Elkins hosts annual ‘Fourth on the River’ celebration
Posted on Sunday, July 6, 2008
ELKINS - Seven-yearold Alysa Price sat in the passenger's seat of her family's balloon-decorated Bobcat vehicle on Saturday afternoon, anxiously awaiting the start of the third annual Fourth of July Parade.
"We live in Elkins, but this is our first year to be in the parade," Price's mom, Karen, said. "We came because [Alysa ] really wanted to, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to catch up with friends and family."
Wearing a pink, sequined hat, matching shirt and pink, plaid pants, Alyssa squirmed in her seat with anticipation while her 21-yearold brother, Josh, waited patiently nearby. Sitting behind them was the family's Australian Shepherd, tied securely on-board with a purple leash.
"You're never too old for a parade," Josh said, as he started the engine to his family's Bobcat and waited for his mom to take her seat.
Though dark clouds loomed overhead, Bonnie Wilcox, parade coordinator, said the gloomy weather Saturday morning didn't keep area residents from celebrating the Fourth of July a day late.
"The parade just grows and grows every year," she said. "We plan to add more activities as it gets bigger. We really want this to become an annual tradition for families down the road."
Wilcox said the "Fourth on the River"parade is the city's largest procession of the year.
In addition to the Price family's Bobcat, the parade featured tractors, horses, motorcycles, golf carts, four-wheelers, antique cars, police cars and fire trucks, most of which were decorated in the colors of the U. S. flag.
Parade participants lined up in the parking lot of the Harris Baptist Church and followed each other along Arkansas 16 toward Bunch Park. Local residents sat in folding chairs and waved from their front lawns as the parade crept through town.
Afterward, participants convened in the parking lot of Bunch Park, where they took part in numerous activities throughout the day.
"We're having a friendly game of basketball between the Elkins firefighters and Elkins police," Wilcox said. "It's their first time to play against each other, so it should be interesting."
Additional entertainment included a fishing derby, dunking booth, water slide, live music, petting zoo, duck race, karaoke and games for kids. Evening festivities concluded with a chicken dinner, sponsored by Tyson, and a fireworks display.
Wilcox said the Elkins Fourth on the River celebration is sponsored by area donors, residents and businesses each year. Community members take part in fundraisers throughout the year to raise money for the annual tradition.
"It's just a chances to bring everyone together," she said. "We're a small town, and we want everyone to celebrate the Fourth of July as a community. It's a whole lot more fun that way."
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