Ishpeming 4th of July Parade, Community Picnic, & Fireworks

The 4th of July Committee is pleased to continue with our 38th consecutive year. Our Fourth of July Parade this year will highlight Local Law Enforcement, and express thanks and appreciation for our local law enforcement who protect the health and safety of all our families and communities.We are proud to announce this years Parade Grand Marshall is recently retired Police Chief Dan Willey, an Ishpeming native who served 30 years serving as Patrolman, Detective/Sergeant and then Chief of Police, along with several other retirees from the IPD.

This year’s parade is scheduled for Tuesday, July 4, 2017 and will begin at 10:30 AM.

Parade officials will have lineup listings for parade entry placement, beginning at 9:00 AM on July 4. All Parade entries must contact Parade Officials for placement between 9:00 and 10:00 AM. Parade officials will be present at the intersections of N. Third and Bessemer through N. Third and Empire Streets. All parade entries must be in place by 10:00 AM.

Parade starts at 10:30 AM SHARP.

Undecorated entries are unacceptable and may be removed by parade officials. Political entries must be compatible with the parade’s purpose and/or theme. All animal and equestrian parade entries must provide their own cleanup. Parade entries distributing treats to kids must insure that the treats are thrown away from moving vehicles. Squirt guns and supersoaker water guns are prohibited. Any sales, raffles or solicitations for donations must be approved by the parade officials prior to lineup.
Parade route: South on Third to Hematite Drive, West on Hematite Drive to Main Street, South on Main Street to Division Street, East on Division Street to Seventh Street to disband. Due to municipal water projects in the downtown the route may be changed from the route listed.
The Ishpeming 4th of July Committee is ALSO planning our Community picnic at Al Quaal and would like to invite you to fill out an application for a vendor booth. The application can be found HERE.

The picnic will begin immediately after the parade. All applications are subject to approval by the 4th of July Committee. It is up to you to obtain food permits. Please call the Marquette County Health Department at 475-4195. All vendors are responsible for reporting and paying sales tax where applicable.

Setup will be July 4th from 9:00 am – 11:30 am. If you choose to set-up the night before please note that we will not be providing overnight security, you will be responsible for securing your own booth. All vendors MUST be set-up and all vehicles must be off the Al Quaal grounds and in the Birchview or other designated parking lot by 11:30 a.m. NO EXCEPTIONS. We ask that you do not tear down before 8:00 pm.

In addition to the regular vendors, the Ishpeming Fourth of July Committee would also like to invite all Artists to apply to be in the Earthly Treasures Artists Tent. The Earthly Treasures Artists area will consist of non-food items, and items must be of a handmade, non-manufactured nature. All artists and crafters are responsible for reporting and paying sales tax where applicable. You are also to supply your own tables and chairs.

All applications are due by June 12th. We will do our best to not have duplicate vendors, and duplicates will be handled on a first come first served basis. We encourage you to make your reservations as soon as possible. If you have any questions regarding the picnic, please contact Stacey Willey 906-485-1033.

The Fireworks Display will begin at Al Quaal Park at dusk.

As you can well imagine the cost of this celebration is quite high. We charge no admittance fees for the parades, picnic or fireworks and all revenue is through the generosity of our residents and our business community. Without your help we could not continue this proud tradition.

Please consider sponsoring the 4th of July festivities, the largest event in our community.