Troy Fourth of July set to go off

Troy’s annual Fourth of July celebration will kick off Friday morning with a 9 a.m. church service at the Babe Ruth Ball Field followed by breakfast at the Roosevelt Cook Shack.

The parade will begin at 11 a.m. and follow the usual highway course through Troy.  Following the parade, a Frisbee golf tournament will begin in memory of Steve Aceves who died last year. 

Food vendors from several different areas will be serving a wide variety of culinary selections in Roosevelt Park. Some of the vendors include the Preview Café, Knights of Columbus, Mike & Gabe’s, the Chamber of Commerce corn cob booth and Cold Stone Creamery.

Jody Peterson, the head coordinator of vendors for the celebration, said there will be an abundance of booths featuring items made by talented craftspeople. 

We have a lot of great vendors this year,” Peterson said. “People need to check out these arts and crafts vendors. They are selling things like tie die clothing, paintings, tutu’s, furniture, jams, jellies and pillows.”

Creative Dreamers will be displaying handmade Burch bark jewelry, Ashley Creek art will show off their items made from hundred-year-old Rocky Mountain Juniper fence posts and Lake Creek Log Works will awe spectators with their hand-made log furniture. 

In addition to the endless food and craft booths, there will be several events during the day to entertain. Troy’s Tender Lovin Quilters will be hosting a quilt show at the Morrison Elementary School gym from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and live music, performed by several different bands, will start at noon and continue until 8 p.m. The band Area 56 will pick up at this point and perform evening music until after midnight. A car show will also start at noon and will be followed by kids’ games on the field.

Peterson mentioned other events such as hamster balls, which are giant plastic balls that people stand in and use to walk on water, bungee swings and a bouncy house.

This summer premiere event is not only popular with Lincoln County locals, as it attracts people from Idaho, Whitefish, Helena, Kalispell and even Arizona. It is a special day for Troy residents, who take pride in hosting this large event that is enjoyed by so many people. 

“This event is something that people in Troy look forward to all year,” Peterson said. “These people are full of patriotism for all the right reasons and it is an opportunity for them to celebrate in their hometown.”

Darren Coldwell, the event director, said the fireworks purchased easily total $10,000. The funding for the fireworks is earned through membership fees, T-shirt sales, beer garden profits and food booths. 

“I think this will be a great weekend,” Coldwell said. “The weather is supposed to be wonderful and as far as the fireworks go, this year’s show is going to be the best so far.”

Coldwell said there are a few other event options that are not listed on the printed schedule. One event, the color run, will be hosted by the Troy Parent Teacher Association and is a new event this year. Line-up for the run begins at 8:30 a.m. in Roosevelt Park and starts at 9 p.m. 

“Alice in Wonderland” will be playing at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at the Lincoln Theatre as well.  “This Fourth of July celebration is the largest event in Troy by far,” Coldwell said. “I mean thousands of people show up.”

The fireworks show at 11 p.m. marks the end of a full day of events. After the show ends, Area 56 will resume their live music performance to end the night. 

“This weekend is going to be awesome,” Peterson said. “I really encourage everyone to come down and enjoy the food, the shows, and the company of others.”