There's
nothing quite so quintessentially American as a small
town 4th of July celebration - especially when the small
town knows how to do it up big. Telluride
Colorado has been celebrating the 4th in a BIG way since
way before my half century of memory comes into play. In fact the Telluride
Fire Department, who puts the shindig on, celebrated it's
130th birthday this year so they've got a plenty of experience doing
this sort of thing.
The
4th here always starts with a bang - a big bang called the Powder
Monkey Breakfast. The firemen - who have been up most of the night
tending to the 100's of pounds of beef roasting in an underground pit,
wake up the rest of the town by lighting off a few sticks of dynamite
around 6 a.m.. The festivities actually
get rolling with a parade at 11:00. Everybody in town is in
the parade - honest. Babies, kids, dogs, horses, Veterans, motorcycles,
floats, bands, people who just woke up and got in line - all 1,500
townspeople are in the parade that stretches the entire 4 blocks of
downtown. 
What's more amazing is
that even though everybody in town's in the parade, people are still
lined 6 deep along the street to see it. That's because 10,000 or more
people come from all around the country to experience this remarkable
event,The Veterans usually lead off the parade under the direction of Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf, who lives here much of the time. This year the General isn't feeling well and hasn't made it back to his high country home yet so we missed him.
My Mom's birthday was on the 4th of July so she and my Aunt were always in the parade. Mom died a couple years ago but my Aunt Irene is still in the parade and I get to tag along as water boy and umbrella holder. At 95 she's the oldest living native of the town and somewhat of a celebrity. Last year she got the Key to the City, which thrilled her no end. John Roth shines up his pride-and-joy 1965 Austin Healey just so Irene's got the classiest ride in the parade.
Naturally
we have jets fly over and there are floats of all types. 
Someone
loaded a bunch of kids on a pontoon boat; the ice hockey team rode
their Zamboni; there's always an old Prospector or two handing out
'honest-to-God gold' samples to the tourists; several ladies always pay
tribute to the original denizens of 'Popcorn Alley', the old red light
section of town; this year we had a ragtag New Orleans funeral marching
band; and as usual we salute 'Men Who Can't Dance' who come variously
themed as Elvis or Michael Jackson and dance down the street as only
men can't. Years ago the rest of the day was a series of contests and expositions to mining, from rock drilling with old pneumatic drills, to tug-of-war, fire hose showdown, pie eating contests, etc.
After
the parade most folks make their way over to the Town Park where the
firemen serve up a delectable meal of that roast of beef, potato salad,
baked beans, corn on the cob and watermelon. 
The
past few years we've not braved the crowds at the park but have opted
for a smaller pot-luck at the Elks Club. Many old-timers who come back
to town for this day gather to visit, reminisce and remember those who
passed on. 
When it's dark, the firemen again put on a fireworks extravaganza that has been a tradition for decades. This year for their 130th, they really blew up the sky. They shoot them off in a little box canyon at the end of town so you can see them from anywhere in town. The bombast lights up the surrounding mountain peaks and the blasts echo back and forth from mountain to valley.
While
many cities did without this year due to a plant explosion in China
that destroyed a good portion of the world's supply of firecrackers,
Telluride Firemen order their stock a year in advance so
there was no shortage in this spectacular display. 
If
you're looking for a great place to celebrate next 4th of July, bring
your family to enjoy a healthy slice of small-town American
Independence Day. I saw Leon Russell perform the night before, Jonny
Lang gave a FREE performance the day after, most everything is FREE
except the BBQ, which'l set ya back $12 bucks. Come on up. It's a great
time and you'll make memories that'll last a lifetime. Gene
Wunderlich - Selling Southwest California Homes including
Temecula, Murrieta & The Southern California Wine Country
Remember, Don't wait to buy real estate - Buy real estate and wait.
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