Despite morning storm, St. Paul neighborhood maintains its Fourth of July tradition
Jackson, 9, and his sister Chloe, 4, crouched close to Como Avenue, picking up candies on the ground that had become quite soggy after the morning's heavy rain.
"My favorite part was getting candies," Jackson said, zipping up the bag in his hands filled with the sweet treats. "Hopefully tonight we get a sugar rush."
Felicity Riley, the children's mother, has made her way to Langford Park and St. Paul's St. Anthony Park neighborhood on the Fourth of July for years.
"It's just a nice little hometown feeling. I grew up going to parades, so it's nostalgic for me," Riley said.
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Despite the storm and heavy rains that hit St. Paul Wednesday morning — and the half-hour delay the weather brought with it — hundreds of St. Anthony Park neighbors gathered for their annual celebration.
For longtime residents like Chuck Tracy, celebrating the day at the parade is a family tradition. He's attended the event for more than 35 years.
This year, he brought his old lawn mower, to join in the marching.
"Fifteen or 20 years back, there was a lawnmower brigade, but then it ended for some reason. So three years ago, we decided to bring it back," he said. "The crowd loves it."
As Tracy and others in the brigade marched along Como Avenue, pushing their lawnmowers in a choreography of circles before scattering and marching forward, parade-goers burst into cheers and rapturous applause.
Many of the families at the parade said that they plan to celebrate the rest of the day in the community or out of the city for fireworks at night. St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter announced June 27 that the city won't host its own fireworks display this year.
This year, Independence Day brought special meaning to some in the St. Anthony Park crowd. Heidi Stone, of Arden Hills, said that the day makes her thankful for her family's privileged life and think about those struggling to come to the country for a better living. Stone brought her three children with her husband to the parade Wednesday morning.
"There's a lot of people who are trying to come to our country right now to enjoy the same freedoms that we do," she said. "I think a lot about those families that are fighting to come here."