Take your pick: parade, party, or go back in time

The Fourth of July is more than the fizz and crackle of sparklers and fireworks for residents in unincorporated south Lee County.

It is a chance to go back to their roots with some good, old-fashioned partying, say event organizers.

Lee County Parks and Recreation has organized the San Carlos Park Fourth of July parade for the past 16 years, said Bonnie Jasper, senior recreation specialist for the county.

The parade, which begins at 8:30 a.m., starts at the corner of U.S. 41 and Sanibel Boulevard and snakes its way across Lee Road and down San Carlos Boulevard to Three Oaks Community Park. Parade entrants are expected to shower spectators with candy along the route.

There are about 62 entries for this year’s parade, Jasper said.

At Three Oaks Community Park, there is live music, carnival games, pony rides, a bounce house, food vendors and a water slide until 1 p.m. San Carlos Park Fire and Rescue will be on hand to hose down the kids, she said.

About 1,000 people usually line up to watch the parade, which has gotten bigger each year, Jasper said. The parade route also is slightly different than in years past, but other than that, it hasn’t changed much.

“I was here for No. 1,” Jasper said. “They love it. We’ve had people that are in the parade say it’s the best because it’s so hometown-like. It’s sort of like clinging to your roots.”

The Estero Historical Society decided to go way back in history to celebrate the Fourth, said President Mary Ann Weenan. Any party-goers who show up at 10 a.m. at the Koreshan State Historic Site will get a chance to recite the Declaration of Independence during a group reading.

“Everybody reads, not just one person. It’s more personal than that, the Declaration, for each and everyone of us,” she said. “At this point in time in our country and maybe the world, we want people to go back and read what’s really important to us, how this country was founded.”

Weenan said she is hoping a younger crowd shows up for the reading, which will be followed by a cake and soft drinks to celebrate the 230th birthday of the United States.

“I think everybody and everything should have a birthday party,” she said. “I don’t know if we’re going to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to the United States, but we’ll try,” she said.

The celebration at Miromar Outlets Mall focuses on family fun, reminiscent of old time block parties, said Jeff Staner, general manager of the mall.

“It’s community oriented. It’s a safe environment. We have lots of on-site security,” Staner said.

The event typically draws between 15,000 to 18,000 people, he said.

“Everybody else does it on the Fourth. There’s so many other fireworks event nights, so we always do it just before the holiday,” he said.

The activities will get started at 5 p.m. with games for children sponsored by the Lee County YMCA and live music from the Mambo Brothers Blues Band. There will also be a performance by the Southern Extreme Water Ski Team and, of course, fireworks as the grand finale.

There will also be sidewalk sales from July 1 through 4.