People lined the streets Saturday to celebrate Independence Day with family, friends and neighbors.
From the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus to the Field Club neighborhood, people gathered for concerts and parades, decked out in red, white and blue clothes and patriotic accessories.
A light drizzle throughout the morning didn't keep crowds from standing in a park or sitting in their driveways to enjoy Independence Day festivities.
Carillon concert
Dozens of people, some under umbrellas or sitting in their cars, gathered to hear UNO music professor James Johnson's free carillon concert.
Johnson played patriotic songs, including “America the Beautiful” and “The Star-Spangled Banner,” from the university's bell tower.
Families and couples surrounded the bell tower for the 9 a.m. concert, which Johnson has performed since the mid-1990s.
John and Andrea Steele attended the concert as part of a holiday weekend that included watching fireworks from a riverboat Friday and a family picnic Saturday.
They had heard the bells at UNO ring only on the hour or half-hour.
“We wanted to actually hear them play a tune,” Andrea Steele said.
She said she thought the music was beautiful, and her favorite was “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the concert's final number.
The rain didn't deter the couple from sitting outside in lawn chairs.
“As long as it's not a downpour, we're OK,” Andrea Steele said.
J.E. George parade
For Omahans in the Memorial Park and Dundee area, the J.E. George Boulevard parade — now in its 59th year — is a true community event.
The flag-lined boulevard was filled with people and pets celebrating the holiday in their front yards.
Mario Tosone, the neighborhood's mail carrier and the parade grand marshal, drew big cheers and shouts of “Hi, Mario!” as he led the procession toward Memorial Park.
Priya Hoffman attended the parade with her husband and two sons. The family has lived on J.E. George Boulevard for about a year.
The parade is “one of the most fun parts of living on this street,” she said.
Her son, 4-year-old Ben, enjoyed decorating his bicycle with flags and stars for the best Big Wheel or bike contest.
Other contests included best kid costume and most patriotic pet.
Girls wore flag-patterned dresses, and some children sported red, white and blue hair dye. Dogs of all breeds showed off their patriotic spirit with flag-inspired bandanas and decorative leashes.
Steve French said his family attends every year. Seeing the creative costumes and spending the day with neighbors are highlights.
“It's all community,” he said. His daughter, Alex, 4, said she liked getting candy from the parade.
The event was expected to turn into an all-day block party, parade co-chairman Christopher Dickey said.
Field Club parade
School groups, families, businesses and Mayor Jim Suttle paraded past people sitting in their front lawns and lining the streets at the Field Club parade.
Families packed Woolworth Avenue for the event, cheering for friends and relatives in the parade and chatting with neighbors.
From beauty queens to children riding bikes decorated with patriotic streamers, there was plenty to cheer for.
Prizes were awarded in categories that included best motorized vehicle and most patriotic or historic entry.
Children also could take a look inside a fire truck parked at 35th Street and Woolworth Avenue, and families ate hot dogs, chips and cookies.
Helen Wentz attended the parade for the first time this year. She said her favorite entry was Noah's Bark, a day care for dogs.
She wasn't the only animal-lover at the parade.
Alexander Buescher, 4, rode Coco, a miniature horse, down the avenue.
His grandfather Craig Buescher helped steer Coco. Due to some pre-parade practice, Craig Buescher said, the procession went smoothly.
After the parade, children crowded around to pet the horse.
“It's a hit with the kids,” Craig Buescher said.
Seward, Neb.
Seward's old-fashioned Fourth of July provided a full day of activities, from a morning flag-raising ceremony to an evening concert.
In between, people took in airplane and car shows, markets and a 100-entry parade.
The craft and food markets were packed, said Pat Coldiron, director of the Seward Area Chamber of Commerce.
She said the trolley rides around town, one of the newer additions to the celebration, were a popular attraction.
Cloudy but pleasant weather — and no rain — kept attendance strong, she said.
Council Bluffs
Skies were gray, but a light drizzle held off for the annual Independence Day program at Veterans Plaza Memorial in Bayliss Park.
About 100 people, including Mayor Tom Hanafan, looked on as the ceremony began with a presentation of the colors by cadets of the Abraham Lincoln High School Air Force JROTC, the singing of the National Anthem, recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and an invocation.
Maj. Scott Moore, head of the Air Force JROTC program at Abraham Lincoln, thanked veterans for their service and talked about the continued effort of Americans to live up to the democratic and social ideals set forth by Thomas Jefferson and other founding fathers in the Declaration of Independence.
“That decision [to sign the declaration] led to a government and a country that has yet to be equaled anywhere on earth,” said Moore, the keynote speaker. “We are the greatest nation because we believe in the equality of all humankind. We haven't always stood up to the ideals of Jefferson and of that document, but we have always been willing to try.”
Following Moore's address, veteran Bill Ramsey spoke briefly about the evolution of Veterans Plaza, which was dedicated July, 4 2003, and has been rededicated every year since. The memorial contains the names of Council Bluffs servicemen who died in conflicts from the Civil War through Vietnam.
Ceremonies concluded with a 21-gun salute and the playing of taps by American Legion Rainbow Post 2.
“It's great to be part of this celebration for Council Bluffs and for our country's birthday,” said Lucy Beall-Graeme, one of those in attendance.
This report includes material from the World-Herald News Service.
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