GRAHAM COUNTY — Plans are in place for Independence Day celebrations in the Gila Valley.
The Town of Thatcher will get things started Monday, July 4, with its fire engine wake-up at 6:30 a.m., followed by the People’s Parade at 7 a.m., starting from Thatcher High School.
The parade will travel from the high school north on Third Avenue to Church Street, westbound on Church Street to Stadium Avenue, southbound on Stadium Avenue and will conclude at the Thatcher Splash Pad for the Independence Day program. The program will include the flag-raising, speeches and music, a parachute candy drop, bouncy castles and a pancake breakfast served by the Town Council and other volunteers.
Also starting at 7 a.m. Monday will be the Town of Pima’s annual Fourth of July Breakfast. The meal of pancakes, eggs and bacon will be served at Pioneer Park starting at 7 a.m. Cost is $3 per person, with veterans and active-duty military free.
“I feel the Fourth of July is a family holiday in a lot of ways,” said Mayor Dale Rogers. “So I don’t know that we need a big event besides the breakfast and the fireworks. I think it gets done what needs to be done.”
The event is sponsored by the town and the Eastern Arizona Museum and Historical Society.
In Safford, a patriotic program will start at 9:45 a.m. in front of Graham County Courthouse, followed by the Gila Valley Fourth of July Parade down Main Street at 10 a.m.
Back in Pima, admission to the pool will be free for residents during normal pool hours, 1-5 p.m.
At sundown, fireworks will be available for viewing in both Pima and Safford.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 11:37 a.m. Thursday, June 23, 2002, to change the date of Pima’s holiday breakfast from July 2 to July 2.
