If you spend Fourth of July in McCarthy you might think you walked into an old Norman Rockwell painting. Ohhhh…on second thought, Norman Rockwell probably wouldn’t approve of ALL the floats in the McCarthy parade!
The day starts with a pancake breakfast at the Old Hardware Store, a benefit for the McCarthy-Kennicott Historical Museum. Afterwards, the morning is mellow, spent taking care of essential chores,walking around greeting old friends and maybe stopping at The Potato for a coffee and to get your face painted.
The Parade
Then precisely at 12 noon the festivities start with a solo rendition of the national anthem, followed by the parade, led by a marching band. A variety of fun, eclectic and original floats follow, most representing a local business.
But anyone can join the McCarthy parade. There’s a kid’s float and usually a truck or a few 4-wheelers waving flags and decorated with red, white and blue bunting.
Smokey the Bear makes an appearance, and the volunteer fire department cools down the crowds.
Kids scramble for handfuls of candy tossed out from half a dozen floats.
Now, McCarthy is a TEENY town, so the parade is not very long, about a dozen floats altogether. But that’s okay, because the folks here make up in enthusiasm and creativity for their lack of numbers. The parade goes around the block twice, so it’s not so short after all. There are judges and every float wins a prize. In McCarthy there are no losers. Everyone is a winner!
The Games
That’s just the beginning of the fun. There are contests for everyone, young and old. There are footraces and silly games like Egg Tossing and Watermelon Seed Spitting. There’s a Pie Eating contest, a Slow Bike Race and a Tug Of War.
Of course, dogs are everywhere. McCarthy IS the place where good dogs go to heaven. The dogs especially like the Pie Eating Contest and the Egg Toss.
In between the games, it’s time for a silent auction, where local businesses and residents donate trips, services, and crafts to raise money for the museum.
At the grill behind the McCarthy Lodge you’ll find those age-old holiday favorites, barbecue and watermelon. There’s always a long, long line for ice cream at the Mercantile.
Things slow down a little in the late afternoon. People drift off for a siesta, a dip in the swimming hole, a visit to the ghost town of Kennecott, or a hike in the beautiful Wrangell Mountains. But it picks up again in the evening when the rhythm of banjo notes from a bluegrass band start drifting through the air.
Fireworks, such an important part of the Fourth in many places, need dark skies to really stand out. It just doesn’t get that dark in early July when you’re in the Land of the Midnight Sun. Besides, with tinder dry conditions in the surrounding forests, sometimes it just may not be the best idea to shoot flames off into the sky. If it’s rained recently, though, a lot of folks will head on down to Glacier View Campground to down a brew and watch the fireworks at midnight.
If you’re looking for more fun than a dozen fancy firework displays, though, you just might want to try a McCarthy 4th of July.
