Grand Forks residents have a blast at Sertoma Club’s 4th of July festival – Grand Forks Herald

GRAND FORKS – Crowds flocked to Sertoma Park to celebrate Independence Day at the Sertoma Club’s 2024 Fourth of July Festival, featuring more than 20 different events and dozens of food trucks.

“The turnout was great this year,” said Paul Waind, event chairman for the Sertoma Club.

“It’s huge,” Waind said.

The festival, which took place at the corner of 34th Street and 11th Avenue South, was followed by the largest fireworks display the Sertoma Club has ever hosted.

The festival featured family-friendly events throughout, many of them specifically aimed at children.

“There’s plenty of entertainment for kids,” Waind said. “There’s a line at each one, and everyone’s waiting to play.”

In the morning, children’s names were drawn from a bucket for a chance to win a new bike or scooter, most of which were provided by the Grand Forks Park District and others by Walmart and Scheels.

Then dozens of children lined up to begin the Kids Parade, which wound through the park and ended in the northwest corner. Some children walked, others rode their new bikes down the sidewalk, past family members and other adults, waving as they went.

John Oelke, a Grand Forks resident who attended the event with his family, said the event was a nice activity for the holidays, especially for his children.

“We have things for little kids, snacks,” Oelke said. “So that’s our concern – just for the kids.”

Other events that began around this time included the RC Flyers Display, Art Matters and mini golf.

At the entrance, visitors were greeted by a large Japanese-style arch surrounded by star-shaped red, white and blue balloons. Around the park’s winding paths, more balloons added to the festive atmosphere – some twisted together in a shape reminiscent of exploding fireworks, others forming giant ice cream cones with cherries on top.

As the day went on, the festival became more and more crowded. By 1pm, every corner of the park was packed with people who had flocked to the event, whether they had planned it in advance or had stumbled upon it by chance.

Rick Helligan, a Grand Forks native who attended the festival with his wife, Nancy, said he didn’t know about the event until the two saw the road closure and decided to stop.

“We drove by and all the roads were closed,” Rick said.

“I just thought, ‘What the hell?’” Nancy added.

Jorge Lopez, who has lived in Grand Forks for the past four years while on active duty in the military, said he learned about the event through his work.

“I’m in the military, they sent me an email,” Lopez said. “I thought, ‘Hey, let’s check this out.'”

Sandi Kennedy, another Grand Forks resident, said she comes to the festival every year and uses it as an opportunity to experience the holiday.

The air in the park was filled with the smell of corn dogs and funnel cakes, thanks to the numerous food trucks that lined the edge of 11th Avenue South on the north side of the park. The street was packed with crowds of people in long lines and humming generators that kept the food and drinks in the trucks cool.

In addition to the classics such as French fries and burgers, visitors could also visit food trucks offering Malaysian and Filipino dishes.

According to Waind, the event attracted twice as many food trucks and vendors as in other years.

At noon, the Greater Grand Forks City Band was introduced, with musicians of all ages wearing matching blue shirts playing tubas, saxophones, flutes and other instruments to songs such as “76 Trombones” and “Stars and Stripes Forever.” An American flag flew above the band and was raised on the ladder of a Grand Forks Fire Department fire truck at 12:15 p.m.

Other events that began later in the day included the Sertoma Duck Hunt, face painting, veterinary arts and Misti’s Balloon Modelling, where children had great fun bending balloons into the shapes of swords, flowers and more.

Children could also line up in the west part of the park along South 34th Street for a city fire department event with a chance to shoot water from a fire hose connected to a hydrant near a prop house, targeting and knocking over the flames in each of its windows.

Orbit the clown also roamed the park, stopping here and there to entertain the children with a variety of tools he carried in a bag on his back, such as juggling clubs.

In the afternoon, visitors to the main stage were treated to a magic performance by Kevin Hall, the “Magic Maniac.” His act included a “quick change” in which his wife’s outfit was instantly transformed from a black one-piece to a blue dress. According to him, the two performed this trick on “America’s Got Talent.”

Later, Kenny and the Classics Band played music from the 50s and 60s on the same stage throughout the afternoon until the event ended at 6 p.m.

Also at 6 p.m., organizers announced the winners of their raffle, with the first place winner receiving a 2024 Toyota Corolla. Throughout the festival, visitors could purchase raffle tickets for $20 each.

Later that evening, at 10:30 p.m., the Sertoma Club hosted its fireworks display, the largest in its 66-year history. The show featured 1,800 shells fired.

The festival was made possible by 61 different sponsors, including the City of Grand Forks, Hugo’s Family Marketplace, Rydell Toyota of Grand Forks and more.

The club plans to hold the event again next year. Planning will begin in two months, giving the club 10 months to get everything ready, Waind said. Next year’s festival might look a little different, though.

“We tried out more new ideas this year, but we didn’t implement them,” said Waind. “We’ll look at a few more things.”