Plans coming together for Fourth of July

The Fourth of July is almost six weeks away, but plans are coming together for both the parade and Picnic at the Park.

This year’s theme for the parade is The Grand Old Flag. Kathy Openshaw of the Downtown Merchants Association said the committee is currently taking applications for both parade participants and vendors (Parks & Recreation: http://www.churchillcounty.org/index.aspx?nid=647 or the Downtown Merchants Association: http://www.fallondma.org/events.html).

The parade features many different entries ranging from floats to horses, and with 2016 being an election year, figure a few more politicians will be throwing out candy or tipping their hats to the Independence Day crowd.

The parade begins at 10 a.m. and follows its traditional route up Taylor Street to B and then snakes around the American Legion Hall to Williams Avenue and east to Maine Street. From there, the parade heads south toward the middle school.

Last year’s parade attracted more than 100 entries from the community and Naval Air Station Fallon.

Recreation Supervisor Danny Gleich of the Churchill County Parks and Recreation Dept., said the Picnic in the Park begins after the parade until 3:30 p.m., at the fairground’s picnic area. He said the event features a watermelon eating contest, open swim at the indoor pool, children’s games and bounce houses and live music from local bands. He said Picnic in the Park also has craft and food vendors.

Adjacent to the picnic grounds at the arena, Gleich said the Tommy Lee Roping Show will provide some excitement for those wanting to cheer on their favorite cowboy or cowgirl.

Rounding out the day will be auto racing at Rattlesnake Raceway followed by the fireworks show at dusk.