Another big year for the Clear Lake 4th of July celebrations

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa Its the day weve all been waiting for; Day four of the 4th of July celebration in Clear Lake.

The morning kicked off with the annual 4th of July Parade featuring everything from veterans, nursing homes and the Airport Caf, to presidential campaign groups. While the goal of a weekend like this is to have some fun, its also a major money maker for businesses in town.

You couldnt look to your left or to your right during the parade without seeing the little red star from Cabin Coffee. The coffee shop, situated on Main Street, was at the heart of the parade and their product was in the hands of most of the spectators. The 4th of July is the biggest day of the year for us, says Cabin Coffee owner Angie Barber. Parades and fireworks are great for business.

Because its such a profitable day, it was all hands on deck to handle the crowds. I would say be at least double our staff on a day like this, and of course, being that its on a Saturday its maybe a little bit busier than other years.

Its not only a profitable weekend for folks in town, but for other businesses involved in the festivities as well. Clear Lake has never let us down, says Pat Kates, the office manager for Evans United. Her company has been setting up the Clear Lake carnival for the last 4 decades and Kates says that not only is this one of the best attended carnivals, but also, its one of the most profitable carnivals they host.

The first part of the week was a little bit slower, she explains, but we know that theyre going to show up. I mean, they come from the cities they come from miles around.

People not only show up for the event, they come in the masses. Typically, we are just under 8 thousand and over the holiday we turn into a town of about 50 thousand people so as you can tell, the traffic gets tighter, theres nowhere to park and our town gets crazy. Crazy, but still organized. Patton tells us that Clear Lake started celebrating the 4th of July in a big way back in the 1800s, and because this tradition has held so strong, they have no plans on stopping anytime soon. The 4th of July will continue happening in Clear Lake, not only because its so fun but, its major economic factor for our town.

Independence Day was capped off in Clear Lake with one of the largest firework displays in the Midwest, and the festivities continue; the carnival will be set up in downtown throughout the day on Sunday.

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Source: http://kimt.com/2015/07/04/another-big-year-for-the-clear-lake-4th-of-july-celebrations/