RIDGEFIELD — To step into Ridgefield on Fourth of July is to open a window into the city’s pioneering past.
The city’s annual Fourth of July parade, a longtime staple for Clark County residents, brought cowboys and robbers, old-timey saloons and banks, and horses, both full-sized and miniature, to Ridgefield’s downtown. The Wild West-themed event featured city officials in chaps and cowboy hats and four-wheelers dressed up like covered wagons.
The streets were awash in red, white and blue as stars of all stripes followed the parade route south down Main Avenue and east on Pioneer Street. Thousands of onlookers waved American flags as community organizations, bands and local businesses marched in the parade.
The day’s festivities also included shopping and meals in Overlook Park, entertainment by local bands and a pie-eating contest for those brave enough.
“Ridgefield is like coming into little Americana,” parade director Sandy Schill said. “When you get a parade and spectators, it turns into a Rockwell painting.”
Heather Craven brought 6-year-old daughter Brooklyn and 5-year-old son Rylan to the parade. The Hockinson family was visiting the celebration for the first time — part of Craven’s effort this year to try new things, she said.
“It’s very family oriented,” she said.
Brooklyn, clad in a red-striped shirt adorned with a star of sequins, said she likes to “have fun” on the Fourth of July, and was looking forward to eating potatoes at a barbecue later in the day.
“Fireworks!” cried Rylan, when asked his favorite part of the nation’s birthday.
Nearby, 67-year-old Sandra Stryker bobbed along to the blaring music, dressed head to toe in the nation’s colors. From a hat adorned with glittering tulle and a red, star-dotted scarf, the Battle Ground woman’s patriotism was on full display.
“It’s just fun,” said Stryker, who has been attending the parade for several years. “I love watching people and all the festivities. It is wonderful.”
For Megan Reed, the parade has been a long tradition for her and her family — one she was passing on to her 11-month-old son, Eljay. Reed’s relatives own Ridgefield Hardware, and she said she’s been coming to the parade since she was a baby.
But in the decades since the 35-year-old began attending herself, Reed said the event has grown substantially.
“It’s definitely a growing area,” Reed said. “It’s thriving.”
The growth Reed describes appears to have hit its limit, though. Schill said unless festival organizers expand the parade beyond its current route, it’s unlikely to get any larger — and there’s no interest in losing the small-town charm.
“This has been an ideal place for it,” she said.
