Family activities set on Main Street from 10-2
Free food and fun during the day. Live music. Fireworks at night. What more could you ask for on the Fourth of July?
The free food will consist of your choice of several food trucks on hand for the City of Platte City’s Independence Day celebration set Sunday, July 4.
The daytime event of family activities will happen between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Main Street.
City officials are providing the food and water as a way to celebrate America and a way to acknowledge the difficulty of the past year for many due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s been a very tough past year or so,” said Mayor Tony Paolillo. “This is a way for the community to come together and celebrate America with a free event.”
The free food will consist of several food truck options. Attendees will be able to order food from each truck at no cost, as the city is covering the cost of food. The city will also be providing free water.
If you’d prefer a drink other than water, some or all of the trucks may be offering drink options for purchase. In addition, the Pool Hall will be selling adult beverages and soda that residents are welcome to purchase near the intersection of Third and Main.
Food truck vendors are scheduled to include Rach Eats, which has options including tacos, burritos, and bowls; Jadabay’s Tasty Kitchen, which features well-portioned meals; Kona Ice, serving tropical shaved ice; Sweet and Savory Delites, which features mac and cheese bowls, pulled pork, loaded nachos, etc. as well as baked goods; and Big Daddy & Son’s BBQ, featuring smoked barbecue with all of Big Daddy’s secret recipes.
The live music will be provided by Good Sam Band, who will be performing from noon to 2 pm. in front of the courthouse. The band plays a mix of family friendly music including classic rock, country, gospel and blues. It’s what the band describes as “welcoming musical background for your event.”
There will also be recorded music playing at other times, courtesy of Howard Prost.
There will be a dance performance by students of Beatniks Dance Studio set to take place around 11 a.m.
Other downtown event activities will include face painting, balloon artistry, a bounce house, an inflatable obstacle course, a dunk tank, make-and-take American flag door hangers, and a cornhole (bag toss) tournament for community members to enjoy.
“We are doing Paint-A-Plow, where residents can give a donation to put their handprint on one of the city’s snowplows. Donations will benefit Children’s Mercy,” says Brooke Adkins, deputy city clerk/municipal management analyst.
A dunk tank will be set up near the intersection of Fourth and Main, and those in attendance can take their turns at throwing a ball at the target to send some familiar local faces for a splash.
In the dunk tank will be:
10 a.m. – 10:30 a..m – Platte City Mayor Tony Paolillo
10:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. – Chris Kamler – columnist, The Landmark Newspaper.
11 a.m.-11:30 a.m. – Ivan Foley, publisher/columnist, The Landmark Newspaper.
11:30 a.m.-12 p.m. – Brandon Edlin, Keller Williams North, The Edlin Team
12 p.m.-12:30 p.m. Phillip O’Reilly, lead pastor, The Rock of KC.
12:30 p.m. – 1 p.m. – DJ Gehrt, city administrator, City of Platte City.
1 p.m.-1:30 p.m. – Chief Joe Wellington, Platte City Police Department.
1:30 p.m. – 2 p.m. – Brady Testorff -senior pastor, The Calling Community Church.
A shuttle service will be available for those who don’t want to park downtown. The shuttle will run back and forth from the main entrance of the Platte County High School and Main Street. Hours for the shuttle are from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
FIREWORKS
A large fireworks display will cap the July 4th celebration in Platte City after dark. The display usually gets rolling about 9:45 or 10 p.m.
The fireworks will be shot off at the Platte County R-3 School District complex, but stadium seating will not be available due to construction taking place at the high school.
Of course the fireworks will be visible for a great distance and there are many optional viewing locations. Some of the closer, more popular viewing locations might be Hillcrest Thrift Shop, Platte Valley Park, the Mid-Continent Library parking lot, the YMCA parking lot, Price Chopper, Platte County High School parking area, Platte City Middle School parking areas, as well as parking lots at Siegrist Elementary School and Compass Elementary School.
MAP OF STREET LAYOUT
A colorized map indicating the location for each individual activity within the festival area accompanies this Landmark article.