Independence Celebrations For All Ages
There is no better way to celebrate the nation’s independence than with the whole community, and the Syracuse-Wawasee area provides many ways to do so.
Starting Thursday, various activities will take place around the area, beginning with the Flotilla Road Race for athletic types. It will take place at 8 a.m. at Syracuse Lakeside Park. Activities start again almost 12 hours after the commencement of the road race, leaving plenty of time to celebrate with family. At 7:30 p.m. Lakes Area Community Band will perform a patriotic music show at Syracuse Lakeside Park, followed by the fireworks show at around 10 p.m. Additionally Lakeside Park is open for free, public use all day long and will host food vendors.
The party continues Friday with the opportunity to eat fish at the Lions Fish Fry, running from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Syracuse Community Center. The silent auction will take place during the time of the fish fry; local businesses donated the items that will be up for bid, and the Lions Club will donate the proceeds to one of its charities.
Saturday is ripe with activities. The Artisan and Farmers Market will take place, just like other Saturdays in its season, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Crosson Mill Park and will offer a variety of handmade crafts, home grown food and more. Starting at the same time, 9 a.m., Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation will host its second Lake Talk and Eats for this year at the WACF Education Center, and anyone interested in bugs and water health, especially grandparents and grandchildren, should plan on attending this event.
Directly following at 10 a.m. is the Syracuse parade starting on SR 13 that not only kids, but also adults, will enjoy. After watching trucks and wagons parade down the hot asphalt, cool down while watching the annual Wawasee Flotilla boat parade that takes place on Lake Wawasee and will travel clockwise from Wawasee Spink, starting at 1:30 p.m. Athletics fans are sure to enjoy the theme: “Wide World of Sports.”
To cap off the day, Lake Wawasee will host its firework show at dusk, so if you missed the Syracuse light show or just want to see another, be sure to attend.