July 7, 2014 at 2:35 p.m.
Three Lakes Lions Club hosts special Fourth of July celebration
Three Lakes Lions Club hosts special Fourth of July celebration
The festivities have long been a tradition in Three Lakes. Organizer Don Sidlowski said the event is the club's way of bringing people together to not only celebrate our great country, but to celebrate the feeling of community so prevalent in the town. It all starts with the pancake breakfast, he said.
"The Lions sponsor the pancake breakfast which is really the primary fundraiser for paying for the parade. Our goal every year is to try to break even if we can. Some years we lose a little, some years we make some extra that goes in the kitty for later parades, but really it's all about generating community involvement," he said.
"We want to get everybody together and try to draw people to the area just to have a good, safe time on the Fourth of July."
The parade and the festivities that go along with it have grown substantially throughout the years.
"It really has. (Friday) there were probably, just guessing, about 8,000 people just at the parade alone. Sometimes it's as many as 10,000 depending on what kind of weather we get, but I don't think we've ever had less than 5,000. People just seem to love packing those streets to have a good time," Sidlowski said.
"Then people will come and go throughout the day, with all of the activities and those things, before all coming together again in the evening for the fireworks. Those are always popular."
While the Fourth is all about celebrating the freedoms we enjoy as Americans and honoring those who have fought so bravely for those freedoms, Sidlowski said the festivities in Three Lakes are also about celebrating the sense of community that engulfs the small town.
"The thing about Lions clubs in general, and our club I think in particular, is you do these things not for any expectation of an award or anything other than the satisfaction that comes from giving back to your community. That's why we all do it," he said.
"There's just a great sense of community here. It brings us all together to see old friends and introduce us to a lot of new friends that come to town. It's just a great time."
Those attending the parade agreed.
"We've been coming here for 10 years now, ever since the kids were little. Hopefully, we'll be coming for even more, when they're grown and have kids of their own. It's just a wonderful place to spend the Fourth," Kim Petersen said.
"Everyone's so nice here, it's a wonderful parade, there are a lot of fun things for the kids to do and the fireworks are always spectacular. I can't imagine going anywhere else."
Marcus Nesemann may be reached at [email protected].
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