Boise Will Celebrate Independence Day Without Parade

BOISE, ID — Celebrating the Fourth of July will be different this year as Boise will have no parade.

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The We the People 4th of July Celebration Committee, organizers of the parade for the past 20 years, posted the following letter on the group's Facebook page announcing the end of the festivities.

Fellow Boiseans:

It has been a joy to serve the community for nearly 20 years as coordinators of the annual July 4th Parade. Coming together in unity to celebrate the freedoms we all enjoy, remembering those who sacrificed their lives that we might have such liberty, and reflecting upon the reality that such freedom is rooted in the abiding God-given rights of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” is a significant part of making true community.

So, it is with mixed emotions that “We the People 4th of July Celebration Committee” announces that we will be unable to continue providing this community service. “We the People 4th of July Celebration Committee” has been primarily a family operation. Family members grow up, get married, start their families, and need to pursue the personal and family dreams that are in their hearts. It is exciting to see these developments in their lives. The challenging times and restrictions of the last year have added to the difficulties of staging this parade beyond our current capacity.

The committee is so very thankful to all the volunteers who have assisted us in planning and putting on the parade. Over the years, dozens upon dozens of faithful individuals from both inside and outside of Boise have taken the time to man barriers, assist at the command tent, carry banners, clean the parade route, gather garbage and recycle bins, push donation barrels, and more. The list of duties they would fill is long and the number who stepped in and fulfilled those duties is far too numerous to list here. You know who you are and we are forever grateful.

Two organizations we do want to particularly identify and express our appreciation for their service are the Boise City Police who volunteered to provide crowd control and security, and REACT who also, on a volunteer basis, provided the needed man-power to properly secure the parade perimeter each year. A heartfelt thank you to both organizations for their faithful and sacrificial service. We additionally want to express our thanks to the Boise City Council and Events Committee for working with us every year to help us put on a successful parade.

Finally. we want to recognize the many businesses, organizations, and individuals of Boise and the surrounding area that participated each year in the parade adding your unique expressions of appreciation for the liberties we all enjoy. And, last, but certainly not least, we want to express our overwhelming appreciation for the tens of thousands of patriotic members of this community that would attend each year to join in the celebration and fun. In many ways, you were the most important part.

The “We the People 4th of July Celebration Committee” in accordance with its by-laws, will appropriately disburse its resources to worthy community service organizations

Rest assured the family and friends of “We the People 4th of July Celebration Committee” will continue to serve Boise and surrounding communities in new and varied ways in the years to come.

Sincerely,

“We the People 4th of July Celebration Committee”

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