Bessemer celebrates Fourth with a bang

By CHARITY SMITH

csmith@yourdailyglobe.com

Bessemer - Bessemer marked the Fourth of July with a slew of activities over the past week, including a big weekend of events, ending with its traditional Thunder of the Mountain fireworks display over Massie Field.

The celebrations began with the traditional Poncho's salute at 6 a.m. The salute was followed by a Sunday worship service in Bluff Valley Park at 9 a.m.

Families gathered later in Massie Field for games, which included sack races and a ladies slipper toss. Ladies age 17 and up lined up and one by one kicked off their shoes to see who could launch it the farthest. In between the games, there was a brief pause as the 148th Fighter Wing of Duluth, Minnesota, did a flyover late in the morning. Ice cream was given out to all attendees following the games, a Bessemer Blast tradition according to the game announcer.

The annual children's parade early in the afternoon drew kids wearing patriotic attire, some with bikes, wagons and toy jeeps decorated with flags and other red, white and blue items.

One group of children marched carrying signs with the outline of their states of residency - Arizona, Oregon, Wisconsin and Michigan - along with a sign that said: "Even miles apart ... Bessemer is always in our heart," the family motto. Another family pulled a wagon with a cooler full of watermelon, and the children offered spears of watermelon to the crowd, as people cheered and waved.

Bobbie Jo Anderson, of New Mexico, said she and her family have been coming back to Bessemer for years to celebrate the Fourth of July.

"Hometown traditions ... they're just not the same (other places)," she said. "You guys know how to do it right here."

Her sentiments were shared by many.

The celebrations continued at 6 p.m. with the Bessemer High School Marching Band marching along the parade route, warming up the crowd in preparation for the general parade, which began at 7 p.m. with a siren announcing the end of 50/50 ticket sales. A giant spinning cage filled with tickets stubs was carried out and a winner was chosen. While the winner for the raffle was not known by presstime, the winning ticket number for the grand prize jackpot of $44,254 is 8908.

The general parade through the downtown area included a juggler, the bubble stylings of Lawrence Ripp - "Sir Sidney Soapington, the Baron of Bubble" - and stilt walkers from Minneapolis.

Numerous local businesses and organizations marched and had floats in the parade. Several of them tossed candy at the crowd, to the delight of the children who scrambled to get it.

The parade culminated with a performance by Marty's Goldenaires Drum and Bugle Corps, who later performed again on Massie Field just prior to the fireworks display.