A large crowd of thousands spent some, most or all of the day Tuesday at Hermiston’s Butte Park for the annual Stars & Stripes Fourth of July celebration.
Folks began assembling at the park early in the afternoon and the numbers continued to swell throughout the day.
“As you can imagine, crowd size is very difficult to estimate,” said Hermiston Parks & Recreation Director Larry Fetter. “My best guess is 8,000 (in attendance).”
Along with food and beverage vendors filling much of the park, the crowd enjoyed entertainment in the form of Big Top the Clown delighting youngsters with his balloon animals and Keith Ramsay and his magic show.
The Shades returned again this year with a pair of performances. Also performing on Tuesday was the Jim Basnight Band.
For those wanting to get in on the action, there was the watermelon-smashing contest and the annual pool party at the Hermiston Aquatic Center.
“The pool party sells out every year at 300 participants,” Fetter said. “It’s the best possible place to see the fireworks, have a barbecue dinner and listen to live entertainment.”
The day culminated with a fireworks show from the Hermiston Butte. Fetter said the city tweaks the show each year to make it as enjoyable as possible for viewers.
“Every year there are new fireworks introduced into the show,” he said. “This is the best show in Eastern Oregon.”
