Cordova’s Main Street was booming, bold and patriotic as fiddles and banjos filled the air, along with the sounds of children playing and people cheering during the Kelp Box Derby.
Members of the U.S. Coast Guard performed a presentation of the colors, silencing the crowd enough to hear the salmon, hamburgers and hot dogs grilling nearby.
Annie Carlson sang the National Anthem as proud grill masters saluted while others held their hand to their heart.
Three hundred pounds of filleted sockeye salmon were donated by local processors for the event including, Trident Seafoods, Ocean Beauty Seafoods, Copper River Seafoods, Camtu’s Alaska Wild Seafoods, and 60° North Seafoods.
Other local vendors donated food and supplies, or offered a percentage off the bill, for the Cordova Alaska Chamber of Commerce, while community members brought dishes to share, explained the Chamber’s Executive Director Cathy Renfeldt.
Cordova’s Old Time Downtown 4th of July Celebration is a tradition brought back by Martin Moe, executive director for the Chamber of Commerce in the mid-2000s, Renfeldt said.
“Keep in mind that this is a day that celebrates our independence … it’s great to get together as a community,” said Mayor Clay Koplin, who also recognized the nation’s freedoms and thanked veterans for their service, which drew thunderous applause from the crowd.
