July Fourth will be bigger blast in Havre this year

A Havre Fourth of July celebration started last year is continuing, with more people involved in the planning and organization this time around.

Rick Linie said this morning that he and some other people in the community decided to help Bruce Grant, Charles Grant and Allen "Woody" Woodwick work on the celebration this year.

"Basically, we just wanted to help expand on what Charlie and Bruce and Woody started last year," Linie said.

He said the events scheduled so far are a plastic duck race on the Milk River on July 2, a demolition derby on July 3, and a parade at 1 p.m. and festivities at Pepin Park starting at 2 p.m. planned for Independence Day.

The Pepin Park celebration will include food vendors, free games and free live music.

"We've got all kinds: bluegrass, country, gospel, rock 'n' roll," Linie said

He said the exact lineup of the bands is still being worked out, but they are all local bands.

The games will range from children's games to horseshoes and volleyball. Linie's wife, Carrie Linie, is setting up hospitality tents that will offer shade and changing stations for small children.

Linie said the organizers expect the Pepin Park celebration to continue until about 8 or 9 p.m., which will give people time to go to the Jaycees' fireworks display after sundown.

E-1 Towing is holding the demolition derby on July 3. Ken Erickson, who owns E-1 with his brother, Dale Erickson, said it mostly will be a herby derby, with one heat for trucks.

The derby for smaller cars will be run as a standard derby, with separate heats, Ken Erickson said. The number of heats will depend on how many people enter, he added.

"You really don't know till the day of the derby," Erickson said.

The truck derby will be a one-heat event, he said.

The derby will start at 2 p.m. at the Hill County Fairgrounds arena.

Linie said the organizers are trying to get as much donated to the July Fourth celebration as possible to keep expenses down.

"We don't want to make it into a thing about money. It's more about fun," he said.

He said groups will have an opportunity to hold fund-raisers at the event. The organizers have contacted many community service organizations about holding events or having food booths or information booths. The organizers are still waiting for replies from most of the groups they contacted, he said.

Linie said he and the other organizers thought expanding the celebration would be a good way to help people stay in Havre and celebrate inexpensively.

"So many things are tearing us apart these days. Let's have one more thing that brings us together as a community," he said.

For more information, call Doug Heltne at 265-4346 daytime or 265-9717 evenings, or Amanda Frickle at 265-2386 about the parade; call Woodwick at 265-1533 about the music; Debbie Woodwick at 265-4877 about the games and food; and Carrie Linie at 265-8562 about the hospitality tent.