Muscatine’s 4th of July celebrations take place on Thursday

Muscatine’s Independence Day celebration, sponsored by the Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GMCCI), the City of Muscatine and Keep Muscatine Beautiful, will go ahead despite rising Mississippi water levels and the threat of flooding. However, there have been some important changes to the venue this year.

The community parade has been moved from downtown Muscatine and now runs through Kent Stein Park, coming from Houser Street and continuing down Oneida Street to Division Street. From 3-5 p.m. on Thursday, parking is prohibited on Oneida Street. There are several options for parking at Kent Stein Park to watch the parade, but you should get there before 3:45 p.m. as you will not be able to leave the park during the parade. Additional parking is available at the main soccer complex, and golf carts are available to transport people.

Set-up for the parade will begin at 2:00 p.m. in the Soccer West parking lot. Houser Street will be closed to through traffic from Hershey to Musser beginning at 2:00 p.m. Residents, American Legion customers and those staying for the parade will have access until 4:00 p.m. when the parade begins. Houser will reopen to traffic once all parade participants have entered Kent Stein Park.

Spectators are reminded to maintain a safe distance from parade participants, and parents are urged to supervise their children as participants pass by.

The Mississippi River is expected to crest at 19.6 feet on July 4 (at moderate flood stage) and the City of Muscatine will close Riverside Park to vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The rising Mississippi will not prevent July 4 celebrations in downtown Muscatine, they will just be moved to a higher location.

Mississippi Drive will be closed to all traffic from Chestnut Street to Cedar Street. Iowa Avenue and Sycamore Street will be closed south of Alley No. 1 to allow the public to enjoy the festivities and fireworks. The road closure will begin at 8 a.m. Thursday and last until noon Friday.

Eastbound traffic will be detoured from Grandview Avenue to Main Street, West 8th Street and Cedar Street before returning to Mississippi Drive. Westbound traffic will be detoured in the reverse order…on Cedar to West 8th, Main Street and then to Grandview Avenue.

Plenty of free parking is available throughout downtown Muscatine and is just a short walk from the festival grounds.

The celebration begins, weather permitting, with the Almost Fireworks Fest (AFF), which takes place from 4:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Mississippi Drive and Iowa Avenue. The AFF stage will be set up at the intersection of Iowa Avenue and Mississippi Drive.

Special military guests will be honored at 8 p.m., including this year’s parade marshal, Rear Admiral Pamela Miller, medical officer of the United States Marine Corps and deputy chief of the Bureau of Medicine Reserve Policy and Integration. There will also be a special Purple Heart award ceremony for SSG Keith Ormsby of the U.S. Army, who was wounded in combat during the Vietnam War. The military honors will also include an Army National Guard Chinook helicopter flyover.

The festivities leading up to the fireworks display continue at the Musser Public Library, where the Muscatine Symphony Orchestra and Color Guard will be in the library parking lot.

The fireworks display over the Mississippi will take place as planned starting at dusk. Spectators are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs and enjoy the view from Mississippi Drive.

The Musser Public Library Children’s Parade will take place as scheduled at 9:00 a.m. on 2nd Street.

Detailed maps are available at https://muscatine.com/events/muscatines-4th-of-july-celebration/.