A group of motorcycle enthusiasts has stepped forward to sponsor next year’s Fourth of July Parade, but the fate of the event remains uncertain.
“We’re not going to make a decision right now,” said Dave Stannard, president of the Citizens 4th of July Committee, which organizes the annual parade and car show.
This year’s event included about 90 units, from horses and floats to classic cars and musical groups. Members of the PIGs motorcycle riding group want to keep that tradition alive.
“We’re not going to let the parade die,” said PIGs President Perry “Duck” Raivala.
They’ve offered more than $5,000 for the parade coffers - money raised through annual rides and fill the boot campaigns. Raivala stressed that while the PIGs put on these events, it’s the community donors who make them succeed.
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“We can’t do it without them, everybody helping,” he said. Whether they sign up for a ride, put a dollar in the boot or offer a $100 bill, they fuel the philanthropy.
“That’s awesome that somebody can feel that passion to help out,” Raivala said.
More community involvement is needed if the parade is to continue. The 10 members of the Citizens 4th of July Committee are seeking volunteers to tackle some of the work.
“We’re getting older and it’s getting difficult,” Stannard said. One of the members, Ed Stein, is 92.
“For this year, we weren’t going to do it but we changed our mind and put it on,” Stannard said.
They aren’t asking for a year-long commitment, just willing volunteers to help at crunch time with the parade and car show.
“It’s getting difficult to find people to step up and help out,” Stannard said.
The committee is throwing out a call for volunteers. Anyone interested can call Dave or Fran Stannard at 715-394-9673 or Dan O’Neill at 218-206-4239.
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Raivala said the PIGs group is willing to take the parade reins, but hopes they won’t have to.
“If (the committee) steps down, at that point we’ll push to get some people or we’ll do it,” he said. “We want to make sure it keeps going for those little kids.”
More information on the Citizens 4th of July Committee and the PIGs can be found at www.superior4thjuly.com/ and pigsgive.com/.
