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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JULY 5, 2018
FIREWORKS
LIGHT UP
ASTORIA
Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
TOP: The 20-minute display in Astoria capped off a day of festivities all across Clatsop County. LEFT: Fireworks spray sparks in the air as Lylah Huff watches from a safe distance.
MIDDLE: Katelynn Gadberry and Ryker Keeler watch fireworks on the Astoria Riverwalk before the big show. RIGHT: Samantha McAllister and Daniel Savage light sparklers along
the Astoria Riverwalk.
Parade: Firefighters handed out 1,200 free hot dogs
Continued from Page 1A
Gearhart Volunteer Fire Depart-
ment trucks.
Considering the city’s roots,
the trucks were a fitting escort.
Before 1918, Gearhart was a
destination for family vacations.
The people who lived here year-
round were mostly workers at
hotels and other tourist attrac-
tions, said Bill Berg, the town’s
historian, who serves on the
centennial committee.
Two large hotels — one in
1913 and the other in 1915 —
burned down, and cottages were
catching fire. To prevent further
incidents, locals incorporated
the city in 1918 largely so that
the area could have a fire depart-
ment, Berg said.
“It’s part and parcel in the
foundation of the city,” he said.
Unlike larger parades in
more populated cities, including
Warrenton, the procession did
not have sizable floats. Some
people brought camping chairs
to view the festivities, but not
many.
Rather, the attention was on
children in Radio Flyer wag-
ons tossing candy and others in
holiday-themed costumes. With
a number of beach homes lin-
ing the route, many watched
the parade while sitting on front
decks.
Some even decided to host
lemonade stands and yard sales.
Pat Oser, who has owned a
home in the city for 35 years
and switches time between here
and Fort Lauderdale, has hosted
his yard sale for six consecu-
tive years to raise money for his
grandchildren.
“They want to go to Harvard
University, so it takes a lot of
garage sales,” Oser joked.
Following the roughly
20-minute march from Eighth
Street and Marion Avenue to the
National
Guard
flyover
brightens
parade
The Daily Astorian
Photos by Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
WARRENTON —
Oregon Air National
Guard’s 142nd Fighter
Wing included Warrenton
in the F-15 flyover this
year — a first for the city.
Mayor Henry Balen-
sifer and City Manager
Linda Engbretson toured
the unit’s facilities this
year and arranged the
flyover.
The F-15 Eagle
fighter jets made appear-
ances at other parades on
the coast before roaring
over Warrenton ahead of
the city’s Old-Fashioned
Fourth of July Parade.
“What a way to start
the Warrenton Parade!”
Balensifer wrote in social
media posts. He included
a video of the jets zoom-
ing over to cheers from
the crowd below, a Coast
Guard helicopter trailing
behind.
Hundreds flocked to the parade in Gearhart on Wednesday.
Gearhart Fire Station, firefight-
ers stood and began handing out
1,200 free hot dogs.
“It’s super relaxed. It’s nice,”
Lt. Josh Como said. “They just
kind of jump in, paint their bikes
and ride on down to the station
for some lunch.”
In the 100 years since its shift
from almost entirely a resort
town to a more residential city,
disagreements about how to bal-
ance vacation allure with year-
round residents’ needs have
been common. Most recently,
voters in November decisively
rejected a ballot measure that
would have repealed the city’s
vacation rental regulations.
Munching on a hot dog
across the street from the fire
station Wednesday, Berg offered
a prediction about the city —
and its Fourth of July parade —
during the next centennial cel-
ebration. “If we’re not under
water,” he said, “I can’t imagine
it looking much different.”
Hundreds of
people lined up
to take part in
the parade in
Gearhart on the
Fourth of July.