Despite a storm which made its way through the area, locals enjoyed a festive Fourth of July celebration in Independence Township.
‘It was great. They always put on a great parade in Clarkston,? Randy Palmer said. ‘Every year we’ve been down here for the last eight years. Now it’s on to Clintonwood Park.?
The festivities included a morning parade down Main Street in Clarkston followed by games, food and fireworks at Clintonwood Park.
‘It gets better every year,? Mary Przybycien said.
Everybody had their favorite part of the parade. Elissa Garcia, 11-years old, enjoyed the puppet float from Clarkston Free Methodist Church.
‘There was a lot of music and they were creative,? Garcia said.
The Fire Department estimated between 5,000 and 7,000 people attended the parade.
‘It went as expected with no major glitches or no major surprises,? Independence Township Fire Chief Steve Ronk said. ‘It is a lot of work but we have a pretty good idea of how to do this event.?
A storm swept through the area around 1 p.m. and put a damper on some of the enthusiasm as many ran for cover.
However after the weather broke, many residents filled Clintonwood Park to continuing the Independence Day celebration. The fireworks were moved up a few minutes because organizers were worried another storm would hit.
‘I definitely think the storm hurt us a little bit,? Recreation Programmer Kelly Arcello said. ‘But once the storm let up we got back in full swing. A lot of people waited it out and came to the park after the rain. A lot of the crafts people had to leave because the wind blew their tents.?
The Parks and Recreation Department was able to get the Clintonwood Park festivities back up and running by 3 p.m. after branches were cleared from the area.
‘We really packed them in for the fireworks,? Arcello said. ‘It was a really good show. It looked like everyone was having a good time.?