Unique celebration held in Jena – Fireworks in Olla
The United States of America’s 249th birthday celebration was held in grand fashion last Friday, July 4, as several public events took place in LaSalle Parish commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Patriotic events were held in Jena, Olla and Belah as parish residents joined with the rest of the nation for the July 4th holiday.
The first event occurred at the Jena City Park, where local dentist Dr. Rachel Gaddis-Floyd organized the town’s first Independence Day celebration in many years.
The event began with a bike parade at 10 a.m. with children decorating their bikes with patriotic emblems and traveled a short distance on the town’s walking trail to the Town of Jena’s Dog Trot House located at the corner of Sycamore Street and Austin Road.
A short program was held, featuring prayers, the Pledge of Allegiance, National Anthem and recitations from excerpts of Patrick Henry’s speeches by Dr. Walter Creel and the Preamble of the Declaration of Independence by Samuel Floyd.
LEDD President Walter E. Dorroh Jr. presided as Master of Ceremonies and shared a brief history of how the United States was created in 1776 as the colonies succeeded from the British Empire.
Following the program, free lemonade, cookies and watermelon slices were enjoyed by the approximately 100 people who attended. There were also various games for everyone to participate in, free face painting, balloon animals and other creations along with the Jena Pitbosses on hand serving hamburgers and hot dogs.
Many said one of the highlights of the event was Dr. C.C. Gaddis, Dr. Floyd’s father, dressed as Uncle Sam while wearing stilts, raising him over eight feet in the air.
“The entire day exceeded my expectations,” Dr. Floyd said. “It was my very best Fourth of July ever!”
The local dentist said her family has always celebrated on July 4 but wanted to make the celebration bigger by including the community.
“We (United States) have the best history, other than Israel, and we need to make sure that we pass that rich history down to other generations,” she said. “There is no better day to do that than July 4th.”
Dr. Floyd said last October, her son, Samuel, asked if they could have a picnic at the Dog Trot House.
“I didn’t even know what he was talking about but when we got there, I loved it,” she continued. “My mind immediately began thinking about having a Fourth of July celebration at that Dog Trot House.”
By the end of the year, she had met with Jena Mayor LaDawn Edwards to get approval to conduct the event and months of planning culminated last Friday with a larger than expected crowd in attendance.
“I knew that for the first year of having this, attendance would be low,” she said. “I was really just hoping for 50 to 80 people, so I was more than pleased when we had over 100.”
Dr. Floyd and her family are very patriotic and have even attended Fourth of July events on the East Coast where cities in those original colonies celebrate the Fourth with major productions.
“At those celebrations, such as Plymouth, they always have these stilt walkers in their parades and at their events,” she said. “So, I knew I had to have a stilt walker at ours. Thankfully, I knew one, my dad, who has been walking on stilts since he was four years old. He did a great job last Friday and was definitely one of the most popular features of the day.”
Now that the event was deemed so successful from all those attending, she is hoping for an even larger crowd next year.
“As with any first event, you learn so much and leave with so many ideas to make it bigger and better,” she said. “Hopefully, next year, we’ll have more participation, more activities for kids and it will be something that everyone will want to attend. After all, next year is America’s 250th birthday, so it will be one of the biggest days all over the country.”
Throughout LaSalle Parish, many celebrated the United States Independence Day on the water, barbequing and attending family events. That night, private firework celebrations were held in many yards and two large public fireworks shows were conducted, one in Olla and another in Belah.
The annual Tri-City Poppers Fireworks show, sponsored by area businesses, featured the Olla Volunteer Fire Department once again setting of large fireworks for some 15 minutes to the delight of hundreds of people parked at the Olla Fair Grounds.
Many viewed the show from the beds of pickup trucks, standing beside their vehicles or from the air-conditioned comfort inside their cars, but all were thrilled with the multiple explosions accompanied by patriotic music.
In Belah, hundreds more parked near the Belah Methodist Church and cemetery to view another large firework show sponsored by Mark Windham that has become a tradition for many.
