Nome celebrates Independence Day under sunny skies

Nome celebrated the United States of America’s 250th birthday since the Declaration of Independence under blue and sunny skies. 
Nomeites began to gather on Front Street just before 11 a.m. for the parade and following celebrations. Kids and adults were decked out in red, white and blue, showing off their patriotic spirit. The air smelled like hot dogs fresh off the grill from the Nome Kennel Club’s hot dog sale. 
The parade was led by flagbearers from VFW Post #9569 in Nome and followed by floats and marchers. The Nome-Beltz Class of 1986 drove massive green army truck and tossed candy to waiting kids. The crew of the NOAA Ship Fairweather showed up carrying a banner and cardboard cutouts of the vessel. Q Trucking had a float decked out in red, white and blue streamers, an inflatable American flag themed bald eagle and tires stacked, spray-painted and decorated as a gigantic birthday cake. 
Many kids showed up with heavy duty ear protection, a wise choice, as the parade included emergency vehicles blaring sirens and horns, adding to the cacophony of sound and celebration.
After the parade had passed, the crowd gathered in front of City Hall for speeches and the invocation. A small stage was covered in red, white and blue bunting next to a row of bleachers where community members could watch the festivities.
City Manager Lee Smith, dressed in a festive America-themed shirt that read “We the people”, emceed the event.
Girl scouts from Troop 352 and 354 led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance in English and Inupiaq. Then Jackie Reader sang the Star-Spangled Banner and the Alaska Flag Song. The Nome-St. Lawrence Island Dance Group performed a welcome song.
Reverend Keith Bateman from the Nome Church of the Nazarene gave an invocation and prayer. “We are grateful for the men and women across the last two and a half centuries who have been elected to serve us in governing this great land through the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, as well as those who have served in our armed forces, offering their very lives to preserve and maintain the freedoms that we now enjoy,” Bateman said. He invoked Providence in “providing us this precious gift we have come to know as the United States of America.” And he added that its history is not at all perfect. “We recognize that we have not always been just the way we treated each other over the years, and so we humbly ask for forgiveness for the offenses that have come about due to our ignorance and abuses.” 
Bateman prayed, “Now we commit our current leadership and those who serve under them as well as those we elect in the future into your hands. May they be people of excellent integrity and character, may they be endowed with humility, grace, courage, and wisdom as they lead us in the years to come. Gracious God, may we, the people of this great nation, strive to live with each other in great love, even when we may disagree, seeking to bring out the best in each other.”
Smith then gave a short speech, saying that the Fourth of July wasn’t about hot dogs, parades or games, but about freedom and the people who fought for it. “It’s about people who helped earn that freedom with their very lives.” He asked the veterans in the crowd to raise their hands. “That’s what it’s about. These men and women fought for our freedom,” he said.
After that, Smith pronounced: “Let the games begin!”
And races there were – bicycle, tricyle, foot races, slow bike races, gunny sack, wheelbarrow and three-legged races, even a race that required participants to squeeze into special chicken costumes.
 First, second and third places were given certificates that they could trade for dollar coins, handed out by city employees who kept track of winners and placers. Cheers and laughter rang through the air as people cheered on their friends and family members and groaned when racers fell.  
The bike races were followed by the slow bike race – the winner the last to make it across the line. Jono Hanson held out until all his competitors had crossed the line, before popping a wheelie on his way to victory.
Next were foot races, including the wheelbarrow race, shoe scramble, gunny sack race and three-legged race. Jesse Blandford and Peter Hansen cinched a handy victory in the three-legged race, crossing the line several yards ahead of everyone else.
Then there was Nome’s Chicken Suit Race, where competitors, decked out in inflatable chicken suit costumes, raced each other down Front Street.
The final race were the egg races, where the name of the game was steady and smooth. Racers, armed with an egg balanced on a spoon, tried to keep their egg from falling while racing to the finish line. Many racers lost their eggs to the hard road after crossing the finish line and skidding to a halt.
The final competition was the pie eating contest. Kids and adults gathered around tables in front of the bleachers, scarfing down pies donated by Hanson’s. Each pie had a hearty serving of whipped cream on top. Contestants had their hands tied behind their backs, leading to messy faces – but big smiles.
To cap off a wonderful day of celebrations, Nomeites gathered at Fire Hall for free ice cream handed out by the Nome Volunteer Fire Department. Annette Piscoya, Kooper Piscoya and Cynthia Karmun were enjoying the sun and celebrations in front of the Fire Hall.
Annette said this was a pretty good Fourth of July celebration. “I mean, the sun is out, it’s not raining,” she said, laughing.
Karmun said she’s been to many Fourth of July celebrations in Nome, and this one ranked high on the list. “It was awesome,” she said. “There’s no place like Nome. We have a close-knit town. I think people care about each other.”
And with the last of the ice cream eaten, Nome’s Fourth of July celebrations came to an end.