Rain holds off during cloudy Independence Day parade in Mandan
Despite light rain Thursday morning, the skies cleared just in time for the 145th annual Independence Day Parade in Mandan.
The holiday celebration kicked off with the 5k Road Race and classic car parade, setting the stage for the main parade. Approximately 100 parade units traveled down Memorial Highway and Main Street in Mandan, concluding on 10th Avenue Northwest.
The parade was led by parade Grand Marshal Anna Mary Beierlein, who celebrated her 100th birthday while riding in the back of a red vintage car. Following behind her was the winner of the 2023 Best Float Award, A&B Pizza.
The streets were filled with a variety of trucks, buses and trailers. Even a giant motorized Cash Wise shopping cart made an appearance. Frozen popsicles, beef sticks and a wide array of goodies and candy were handed out to the thousands of people in attendance.
The Mandan Progress Organization estimated that 25,000-30,000 people attended the event. Among them was Romona Barr, who has been attending the parade since the 1970s. Barr grew up in her father's house along Main Street and has watched the parade in his front yard almost every year since childhood.
"When I was a kid, it was all about the candy and the floats," Barr said. "As an adult, (I enjoy) seeing friends that I graduated with and seeing my old neighbors."
Barr's father was a historical reenactor with the Old Scouts Society and has been a longtime resident of Mandan. He even kept a Pioneer Days Festival pamphlet from 1936, which includes historical Mandan parade orders and information. The Barr family sets up lawn chairs in their front yard and serves food inside the house during the parade.
Barr described the yard as a connecting place for familiar faces to stop by during the parade. She was reconnecting with longtime friends Lynn and Anthony Bell, as well as Clint Fleckenstein, when the parade arrived in front of the Barr house.
"I've lived in other cities during the Fourth of July but it doesn't compare to Mandan," Barr said.
The Art in Park Festival offered attendees a place to shop and enjoy food during the parade. Stretching from Heritage Park to Dyshoorn Park, the festival featured over 90 craft and food vendors. Entertainment was provided by groups like Sleepy Hollow, The Bluestems and Classic Rhythm, who performed throughout the day.
"This is a really great place to bring people together," said Art in the Park attendee Hannah Balter. "Art in the Park is a unique event and there is so much to see and do. The food options are unbelievable; there's just so many of them."
The parade, which began at 10:30 a.m. and ended around 1 p.m., filled the streets and parks of Mandan with patriotic energy and commemoration. Generations, both young and old, celebrated the festivities with smiles on their faces and candy in their stomachs.
Reach Caleb Herr at 701-250-8246 or .
