Not sure if you know this yet or not… but it’s Pine County Fair weekend right here in Pine City and it will be a busy weekend of non-stop county fair fun for the community! If you found this article and are looking for all the details about the Pine County Fair — visit their website at www.pinecountyfair.com for all the information you could possibly need about the event!

In our little corner of the action, the volunteer crew for the Pine City Chamber Area Chamber of Commerce has been busy planning for the Pine County Parade this Saturday, August 1st beginning at 4PM. We are excited to share that we have a FULL LINE-UP this year with all 100 slots currently filled for the parade…it’s been a few years since we’ve been able to say that! All registered units have received an email from us with the map, rules for event, and assigned unit numbers. If you haven’t seen that email… start checking your inbox or call the office this week to get the information resent to you.

While it is super exciting for us as organizers to have a full parade… we also find that there is a lot of responsibility that comes along with hosting a big parade and it is important to share (for participants and spectators) that our first priority for all involved in SAFETY.

We thought we should use this as an opportunity to share some things about being a respectful participant & responsible spectator.

• We recommend that parade units have 2 people in every vehicle. The driver needs to be able to focus on the road in front of them and a passenger to watch the walkers and spectators around them.

• If you are driving a unit in the parade… be sure that you are staying with the units in front of you and not allow gaps larger than the length of car between you.

• We don’t allow any candy or objects to be thrown from the vehicle/trailer/float during the entire route of the parade. This is a safety issue. If you are distributing candy or any other giveaway – use walkers to distribute within 3 feet of the curb. The last thing we want to see is a young child dash out into the road to pick up candy that has dropped from a bad toss.

• Be respectful of those around you that are there to view the parade. Don’t stand in the street and block others from watching the parade. This is our number one complaint in recent years, and one that we have little control over how to manage. So this year we are simply trying to remind our spectators that Kindness Matters.

• Do not place chairs on public sidewalks to reserve seats. Our sidewalks are for pedestrians and tripping hazards may be removed by property owners.

• There are certain areas of Downtown that are private property and “No Parking” signs will be in place this year as a reminder of this. Please be respectful of these areas, do not park on the grass or drive in this area.

The Pine County Parade is made possible each year thanks to many volunteers and we are grateful for the time that they provide in helping with planning and selecting performance groups, staking the parade unit, posting signs, closing the streets, checking in each unit, and making sure that the event runs smoothly each year. They work quietly behind the scenes each year and keep coming back for another year because they enjoy this event and the smiles, laughter and community enjoyment as the reward.

So, if you have the opportunity to see any of our parade volunteers in their Neon Green safety vests walking the parade route, standing at an intersection, or checking in your unit… be sure to say thank you for a job well done!