Freedom rings out
Record crowd views parade, turns out for Fourth of July events

Fireworks and moonlight provide a brilliant display over the city of Gallup during fourth of July celebrations on Saturday evening. Fireworks continued to shoot off over the city late into the night. — © 2009 Gallup Independent / Brian Leddy

Copyright © 2009
Gallup Independent
By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — Thousands of people lined both sides of Santa Fe Avenue and First Street as the annual July 4 parade was held Saturday.

Estimates from long-time residents said between 8,000 to 10,000 people lined up for the parade to view the 81 floats, marching units, equestrians, and more on a bright sunny morning with the temperature in the high 60s.

People were lined up five to six deep along almost the entire parade route.

“I have been here 19 years, and I think this is about the fourth largest crowd I have ever seen,” Grants Police Sgt. James Spidle said.

Spidle was handling calls in town while other officers, like Moses Marquez — who was riding the department’s Harley Davidson police motorcycle — blocked off side streets for the parade.

“Traffic is a mess,” he said after the parade as cars, trucks, RVs and motorcycles tried to snake their way onto streets near City Hall Park to find additional parking areas for the remainder of the day’s events.

Grants-Cibola Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Star Gonzales said she was extremely pleased about the turnout Saturday morning for the parade and at the golf course Saturday night where the first fireworks display in five years was sponsored by the chamber and the city of Grants
Mike Gifford, his wife Connie and their daughter Chelsea, all of Grants, were walking under the large trees in the park, which by noon were giving off shade to cool those attending the events in the park.

Gifford said this Fourth of July was a celebration of our freedom and Americans who are fighting overseas, should be remembered and supported.

“We’re free to speak our mind, to do what we want to,” Connie Gifford said about what this Fourth of July meant to her.

Grants High School teacher and cheerleading and dance squads coach Jennifer Archibeque brought out the two squads to perform together for the first time ever following the parade. The performance was a hit as many in the crowd applauded while the squads were performing, some calling out the names of some of the members,
Gunnery Sgt. George Garcia had the Grants High School Marine Corps JrROTC drill teams performing following the parade.

“You know this July 4 weekend is special to me because we have Marines going into fight in Afghanistan,” he said.

Tim Louis, a cadet second lieutenant JrROTC, who just performed with the male drill team on Iron Street, just in front of the Grants Mining Museum and chamber of commerce, said: “We represent the soldiers who can’t be here today.

“We are doing our part for freedom. We support the soldiers who are fighting for our freedom on this Fourth of July, which is when our country got its freedom,” he said.

Maria Devine, a cadet second lieutenant with the JrROTC female drill team, said, “This Fourth of July we know why we are here. The Americans who have died making this a free country should be celebrated this day.”

Tina Barajas and Victoria Jimenez, mother and daughter from San Diego, were sitting under a tent outside one of the food vendors in a large converted RV, drinking soda.

“We like coming to Grants during the Fourth of July holiday to see all our family and friends and see the people who come out for the holiday,” Barajas said.

This is the third year the mother and daughter have visited Grants on this holiday, she said.

Maria Rodriguez, from Albuquerque, who was visiting family in Grants for the weekend, said the Fourth of July is not just about hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill.

“It is the day we celebrate becoming a nation of free people,” she said.

The festivities in City Hall Park continued until late afternoon, with the crowds thinning by about 2 p.m.

At 5 p.m., the last vendor’s tent was being wrapped up and the park was virtually empty.

The events moved to the golf course in Grants and began at 6 p.m., with a jumper for the kids and the band Common Ground performing prior to the fireworks, which started about 9:15 p.m.

People spread their blankets on the grass along the south side of the pro shop, some brought lawn chairs and a couple of dogs chased each other through the crowd.

Kids had fun rolling down the sides of the putting green on the lush grass, Gonzales said.

“We want to continue to expand the July 4 events and parade,” she said. “We have people telling us they want it to be like the old days and we are working toward that goal ...This year’s 81 parade entries is the second highest in years. And the crowd that lined up to see the parade were just great.”

The parade awarded three cash prizes to entries this year, they are: First place, VFW Post 33212, $200; second place, Los Alamitos Nature Club, $125; and third place, Cibola County Historical Society, $100.

Information: (505) 287-4802.

To contact reporter Jim Tiffin call (505) 285-4560 or e-mail: jtiffin.independent@yahoo.com.