St. Regis ignites for Independence Day celebrations

There’s nothing quite like celebrating the Fourth of July in a homegrown, small town, with streets lined with Old Glory, ice cream smiles, fireworks and U.S. pride. If you’re looking for some Yankee Doodle Dandy fun, head on down to St. Regis for Independence Day.

First is the annual pancake breakfast hosted by New Day Fellowship at the St. Regis Community Center. This flapjack serving tradition first started with the Methodist Church and the torch was then passed to the congregation of New Day Fellowship. From 8 to 10 a.m. come and fuel up for all the patriotic festivities that will follow.

The next stop is the Fourth of July parade. Registration begins at 10 a.m. at the Doghouse Saloon, so wipe the syrup off your face and get your float, or your horse, or side by side and get entered. The parade starts at 11 a.m. and proceeds from the Dog House Saloon on Old U.S. 10 through the four-way stop and ends at the corner of Main Street. 

Pro tip: Get to town early, pick any of the business parking lots along the parade route and set up chairs, drop your tailgates and prepare for the candy to rain down. And if it’s hot sometimes the firetruck will get you wet too. And if you happen to see a volunteer fire department member walking with a boot during the parade offer up some generosity and donate what you can to help cover the costs of the beloved fireworks display.

Once the parade has finished and the children are starting to buzz from their grocery bags of candy send them to the St. Regis Community Park. From noon. to 2 p.m. enjoy hot dogs, lemonade, snow cones, bounce houses, old-fashioned carnival games thanks to the members of New Day Fellowship. Everyone is welcome and it is all free.

Take the rest of the afternoon to clean up, rest, prep the barbecue, and get ready for a dazzling evening of entertainment at the St. Regis Community Park during their infamous fireworks display. Proudly put on each July by the St. Regis Volunteer Fire Department, their large pyrotechnics light up the sky while hundreds of locals and visitors also fire off their impressive arsenals brought to the park. It’s a firework show you have to be there to truly experience, feels a bit like a Civil War reenactment. A bit of advice, grab a blanket you don’t mind getting burn marks on, you’ll need a light jacket and bug spray, and if you’re clever grab a pair of clear safety glasses. Helps with lying back and enjoying the explosive colors without getting debris in your eyes.

The morning of July 5, now it’s time to clean up after all the fun. Once again, New Day Fellowship takes the lead on this annual reclamation of post-holiday madness. At daylight, if you’d like to join look for workers in the park and they should have gloves, trash bags, and rakes if you’d like to help with the efforts.

And with this year’s Liberty Bash Softball Tournament taking place July 5-7, the park grounds must get cleared well and quickly for the players to use later that day and throughout the weekend. Also on July 5 is Karaoke night at the Talking Bird Saloon.

Let’s not forget about the Fourth of July community celebration down the road in Alberton at the River Edge Resort and Steakhouse beginning at 5 p.m. They will have face painting and a bouncy house for the kids. Enjoy live music with the Western Union Swing Band. Sign up for a cornhole tournament when you arrive. Bring some of your favorite dishes and settle in for a great time with your friends and neighbors. Burgers and hot dogs will be served at 6:30 p.m. Bring a chair and your ID if you plan to drink alcohol. Please note that no outside drinks or coolers are allowed. Weather permitting, fireworks will start at 9 p.m.