Fireworks and food to mark city’s 40th anniversary

LAKEWOOD – The city’s 40^th anniversary celebration begins Independence Day weekend with fireworks, politicians and patriotism.

There will be food, music, entertainment for the kids, picnics and a chance to visit with the neighbors.

But no parade.

Instead it’s “Lakewood: 40 and Fireworks,” arranged by the Lakewood on Parade committee.

“We thought it would be nice to say ‘Happy Birthday’ to Lakewood,” said Jenneé Centeno, a volunteer who is handling marketing for the committee. “If you look at it from sort of a Norman Rockwell perspective, it’s cake and ice cream and lemonade and cold beer on a hot day.”

 This year’s celebration will be at Jeffco Stadium July 3. The stadium is on the east side of Kipling just south of West 6^th Avenue.

The stadium provides plenty of space for the birthday observance fireworks and the 8,000 to 10,000 people the committee expects to host, said Randy Pickering, Lakewood on Parade chairman.

“We’ve been working on this for the last nine months. ” Pickering said.

Since the venue doesn’t lend itself to a parade, organizers decided fireworks and the nation’s birthday would provide a centerpiece for the celebration, the opening event in a series of 40^th anniversary observances around the city, Centeno said. 

The nearly 10,000 people expected to attend can bring picnic baskets, load up the kids and enjoy the show for free. To pass the hours between the 3 p.m. opening and the end of a 20-minute fireworks show a little before 10 p.m., there will be jugglers, barbecue, hot dogs, hamburgers, funnel cakes, cotton candy, a beer garden, two live bands, roving entertainers, speeches, a reading of the Declaration of Independence, and a grandstand presentation complete with trumpets and four Lakewood mayors, past and present.

The youngsters can try their hand at making a bracelet or a hat or pottery at the Art Experience tent. They can have their face painted or twist up a balloon animal. Then there’s the kid’s Fun Run around the track in pursuit of ribbons or randomly awarded prizes. And they can romp around the Kid’s Area law or try one of the inflatable play castles.

As part of the parade committee’s annual work in the community, as many six scholarships to Red Rocks Community College are provided for local students.

The cost of the event is borne in large part by donations from the city, $25,000, and the Lakewood on Parade’s fundraising efforts. A number of local businesses and individuals already have contributed, but throwing a party for the city’s 40^th year isn’t cheap, and Pickering urged other local interests and citizens to contact: Lakewood on Parade c/o FirstBank, David Schafer, 4350 Wadsworth Blvd., Wheat Ridge, CO 80033.