Niwot prepares for July 4th celebration

Flags are in place, the parade lineup is set, bands are rehearsing, the road crew is organizing, volunteers are lined up, and the grand marshals are ready.

The Niwot Community Associations's (NCA) signature event, the annual July 4th celebration in Niwot, is straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Hundreds are expected to turn out for a pancake breakfast, now named in honor of the late Niwot Market proprietor Bert Steele, in Cottonwood Square.

But before it all starts, NCA volunteers and the staff at Niwot Market will order eggs, pancake mix and other supplies, set up tables and chairs, place flags, put street signs in place, and get ready to help hundreds of kids decorate their bikes for the parade. Volunteers will collect donations for the Niwot Patriotic Cookie Moms to support U.S. troops.

The Niwot High School Marching Band will get ready for the parade, while the Niwot Community Semi-Marching Free Grange Band is rehearsing 30 songs with ties to the Independence Day celebration for its morning concert, ranging from "The Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Philip Sousa, to "Holiday" by Green Day, and from "The 1812 Overture" by Tchaikovsky to "I'm Still Standing" by Elton John. The service song medley honors service members from the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard and Space Force.

Breakfast starts at 7:30 a.m., with a concert at 9 a.m., and a parade at 11 a.m. Be sure to stop by the Niwot Historical Society's Firehouse Museum next to the Left Hand Grange, which will also be open to showcase recent improvements to the facility.