Blaine gears up for 4th

By Alyssa Evans

It’s almost time for Blaine’s annual Old Fashioned Fourth of July celebration.

To start off the day, a pancake breakfast will be held at the Blaine Community Center/Senior Center from 8 to 11 a.m.

After breakfast, festival-goers can visit the Show ‘N Shine Car Show, which features over 200 classic vehicles. The show goes from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. downtown.

The Blaine Library Book Sale will offer options for those who want some good reads for the summer, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Arts and Crafts Street Fair will be held downtown from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., featuring local artists and artisans selling their work.

The old-fashioned parade will start at noon along Peace Portal Drive. Parade staging is based on a first-come, first-served basis. Pre-registration isn’t required to participate, but organizers recommend filling out the parade registration form ahead of time and bringing it to the line-up. Forms are available at blainechamber.com. Registration starts at 9 a.m. and parade judging is at 11 a.m.

Live music will be performed throughout the day. Artists performing include Army National Guard Brass Band, Springman Family Band, The Replayzmentz, Silver City Band  and Checo Tohomaso.

The historic Plover ferry, the oldest foot-passenger ferry in Washington state, will run from noon to 8 p.m. from the Blaine Marina to Semiahmoo Resort. The resort is holding a seaside barbecue from 4 to 9 p.m.

To cap it all off, a fireworks show begins at 10:15 p.m. at Blaine Marine Park. Blaine’s annual fireworks are considered the best in the county.

This year, the city of Blaine and the Blaine Chamber of Commerce are working to reduce landfill waste. At the event, volunteers will help the expected 10,000 attendees sort their waste at designated stations.

For more information, visit blainechamber.com.