Cape, Jackson set Independence Day plans

Independence Day is a coast-to-coast time of celebrating the founding of the United States, and Cape Girardeau and Jackson are set to offer a variety of activities to observe the day.

Great American Fourth of July in Cape Girardeau

The biggest thing for the City of Cape Girardeau for July Fourth, parks and recreation director Julia Jones said, is providing the annual fireworks display.

She described it as a “pretty simple” community event that “seems to work really well.”

“People get to enjoy their backyard barbecues or their family get-togethers, and they know they can always find a place somewhere in or around Arena (Park) to cap off their July Fourth with fireworks,” Jones said of the city deciding to not plan a daylong event.

Jones said, “We like to make sure we put on a great fireworks show; that’s our No. 1 goal,” adding, “and we’re just so pleased to be able to host the municipal band that will play patriotic music.”

She estimated nearly 4,000 attend the annual event at Arena Park.

Jones said this year’s fireworks producer is new to the city — Gladiator Pyrotechnics, from Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

“They’re going to do some new things,” she said. “They’re setting up some new fireworks displays that will be different than what we’ve had in years past.”

Cape Girardeau’s budget for fireworks is $18,000, “but they came in low bid at $17,500,” Jones added.

The Southeast Missourian Spirit of America award also will be presented July 4 at Arena Park.

Fourth of July Celebration in Jackson

The City of Jackson’s Independence Day celebration will be at Jackson City Park. The day kicks off with a 5K Walk/Run and Children’s Fun Run at 7:04 a.m.

“The reason it’s set at 7:04 is July 4, ‘seven four,’ and not everybody gets that the first time,” City of Jackson Parks and Recreation director Shane Anderson said.

The rest of the holiday includes the “spectacle of the day”: the mud volleyball tournament — with 40 teams expected to sign up — along with helicopter rides, duck races, a golf-ball drop, a car show with nearly 200 vehicles and a fireworks show to top off the night — preceded by a live performance by Shades of Soul.

The Little Miss and Mister Firecracker Pageant will not be part of the celebration this year, Anderson said, because of the organizers deciding to “take a year off.”

More than 20 food vendors also will be on-site, he said, including food trucks and the Jackson Elks Lodge No. 2652 Beer Garden.

Anderson said yearly attendance ranges from 5,000 to 10,000.

“And that’s our largest single-day event in the city park,” he said.

Fourth of July Celebration schedule

• 7:04 a.m. — 5K Walk/Run & Children’s Fun Run
• 8:00 a.m. — mud volleyball tournament
• 8:30 a.m. — helicopter rides
• 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. — beer garden
• 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. — car show
• 9 a.m. — food stands open
• 11 a.m. — duck races in Hubble Creek
• 4 p.m. — golf-ball drop
• 7 p.m. — Shades of Soul to perform
• 8 p.m. — municipal band to perform
• 9:30 p.m. — fireworks display

Have fun, but abide by the rules

Those living in Cape Girardeau and Jackson preferring to celebrate independently by using consumer fireworks may do so between the hours of 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. June 27 through July 3 and from 10 a.m. to midnight July 4.

The City of Cape Girardeau website states bottle rockets may not be sold, distributed or discharged within the city limits of Cape Girardeau. It’s also considered unlawful for any individual younger than 17 to purchase or attempt to purchase fireworks, and without the direct supervision of a parent or guardian, any individual younger than 17 also may not possess or discharge fireworks.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission website, 280 people a day, on average, are admitted to emergency rooms with fireworks-related injuries in the weeks around the July Fourth holiday.

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