Daily Sitka Sentinel

Visitors Join Sitkans for Sunny Day Parade

By SHANNON HAUGLAND

Sentinel Staff Writer

Sitka’s Fourth of July parade drew more than 30 entries and a huge number of spectators Monday, a day with sunny skies and the temperature in the 70s.

The Sitka Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the annual event, said this year’s parade drew an above-average number of floats, but fewer youth groups than in the past.

The Sitka turnout was supplemented by up to 5,000 passengers from the four cruise ships in town for the day and numerous independent travelers, visitor industry officials said.

Sitkans were joined by thousands of cruise ship passengers Monday for the Independence Day Parade on Lincoln Street. The holiday kicked off Friday night with a fireworks display over Sitka Channel. Dozens of events were held throughout the four-day celebration, including tours, food and game booths, the Elizabeth Peratrovich bench dedication, kids races, dances and the Sitka Rotary Club Duck Race. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

Chamber executive director Rachel Roy said she was impressed by the effort and creativity put into the parade entries, some of them by first-time participants.

The prizes for the parade, with the theme “The Many Faces of Sitka” were:

Most Enthusiastic: Camp Starlight and Alaska Storytellers, which included a red car and dancers.

Best of Theme: University of Alaska Southeast, Sitka Campus. “They had various degrees and professions that can come out of UAS, including a welder, a diver and marine biologist,”
Best of Parade: Daily Sitka Sentinel, with a float showing blown up photos of Sitka faces and captions from the newspaper.

“It was really fun to see people who really got into it,” Roy said. “Those images were creative and cool and how I imagined the theme to be translated.”

Roy also gave some honorable mentions for the theme, including the Friends of the Animal Shelter float which showed “The Many Faces of Sitka Kittycats.

She took special note of the 50th class reunion float, which included photos of Sitkans “gone but not forgotten,” and Subway’s entry in celebration of their 25th year in Sitka.

“They participated and they had a great float,” Roy said. “We also want to recognize the Sitka Police Department. They really showed up, in dress uniforms. They were so happy and positive. It was really cool to see them, and you could sense the camaraderie.”

Roy said the parade got off to a good start with a large Coast Guard turnout, and a helicopter flyover.

The four cruise ships in town brought more than twice as many passengers as the number visiting town on the previous Fourth. Even without a parade, Lincoln Street would have been closed 10 a.m. to  4 p.m. to accommodate their numbers.

“We had all those visitors in town this year,” Roy said. “The visitors got to see a part of our community celebration ... I heard from people they were impressed with the quality of our fire department assets for such a small community in Southeast Alaska. Getting to see how Sitka does Fourth of July is special and cool – that’s a memory they can bring home with them.”

The winner of the Chamber’s Share Your Spark contest was the Alaska Raptor Center, which will win a lunch for employees from a Chamber member restaurant.

“They knocked it out of the park with their decorations,” Roy said of the Raptor Center, adding, “How do you beat a display with a live eagle?”

She also complimented the displays of the Fur Gallery, ALPS Federal Credit Union, Aspen Suites Hotel and True Value.

Lake Street was closed between the roundabout and the stoplight for the parade, which meant the last group of shuttle buses from the cruise terminal had to be rerouted. Passengers were dropped off on Lake Street, not Harrigan Centennial Hall as usual, dock officials said.

“Everybody made it back, and the cruise ships left on time,” said Chris McGraw, terminal manager. Passengers he talked to were “pretty positive,” he said.

“The weather didn’t hurt either,” he added.

The holiday weekend included many other activities in a busy Fourth schedule, such as the dedication of the Elizabeth Peratrovich bench on July 4, as reported in Friday’s Sentinel.

The Old Time Fourth of July event was organized by the Sitka Historical Society and Museum, and featured three days of food and game booths, and live music, at Totem Square. 

Sitka Historical Society director Hal Spackman said some 200 participated in the races and contests on Monday, and he thanked Sue Fleming, Bob and Jan Love, Barb DeLong and numerous other volunteers who helped host such “old time” events as the three-legged race and a pie eating contest.

He said the nine food booths, 10 game booths and nice weather added to the “wonderful experience for children and the community.”