Fourth of July celebrations will go on in Libby

Pandemic or no, Libby will mark Independence Day.

Festivities will kick off with a parade through the downtown area starting at 10 a.m., July 4. The rolling tribute to U.S. independence will be followed by games and tournaments, a car show and topped off with a fireworks display at J. Neils Memorial Park.

The brainchild of resident Kenny Rayome, a Navy veteran, Libby’s Fourth of July festivities come as many area celebrations were cancelled out of concern for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cancellations include the annual parades in Bigfork and Kalispell. Whitefish nixed its traditional fireworks display with officials citing the impossibility of enforcing social distancing requirements at the event.

More locally, organizers behind the annual Troy Fourth of July celebration decided to cancel the event back in April. Uncertainty surrounding the duration of pandemic restrictions, which at the time severely curtailed social gatherings, had planners worried about how to store fireworks if they could not host the event.

That annual display, with the accompanying car show and festivities, usually draws between 5,000 and 6,000 people to the town.

Rayome said last month that he could not let the Fourth of July pass by without some amount of fanfare.

“We don’t cancel America’s birthday,” Rayome said. “It has to be done, especially given the way of the world right now. People have to remember their patriotism and the community has to remember that we’re here for each other.”

He also saw the event as a way to raise money for local organizations, many of which have had to cancel fundraising activities in the wake of the pandemic.

Rayome drew on the support of residents and area businesses to fund the project. The schedule calls for the opening ceremonies to begin at noon with a car show running from noon to 7 p.m. A cornhole tournament begins at 1 p.m. and sack races at 2 p.m. A tug-of-war tournament is slated to begin immediately following the sack races.

A water balloon toss competition is planned for 3 p.m. and a three-legged race is set for 4 p.m. Between 5 and 9 p.m., games and contests will be held for children.

A beer garden will be open from 11 a.m. until dusk.

The fireworks display is tentatively set for 10 p.m.

In a press release announcing details of the day, Rayome thanked local businesses and area residents for sponsoring the event. He described the Fourth of July bash as a way “to be free and prosperous all the while coming together to celebrate our independence.”