Column: Celebrating July 4 on Lake Mitchell

Published 11:59 am Wednesday, July 10, 2024

By Carey Reeder

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By Peggy Bullard | Community Columnist

July 4 was a big day on Lake Mitchell. How many were on the lake that day, let me count the boats. I could not. The water was more like the ocean than a lake. The activities got underway early, especially for those driving in the pontoon parade. They were lined up at Higgins Ferry ready to pull out at 10 a.m. Boats were decorated, people dressed in red, white and blue with stripes and stars everywhere. There were flags and banners waving, and even a few Uncle Sams and Lady Liberties aboard the vessels. The parade started and headed south for Cargile Creek on the Chilton side. They had ducks, balls, candy and beads for all of the spectators. One boat displayed a sign that read “Water balloons YES or NO?” They heard “Yes” the loudest from my crowd of 26 teens on the pier. If you were a “No”, you moved back or up to the upper deck, though that did not help much. I know because that is where I was standing with the camera expecting to get a picture of every boat that passed. I protected the camera, but I caught a couple of the water balloons and redirected a few beads, ducks and balls with my free hand. Those of us on the deck on the top of the boathouse caught a fair share of the goodies that reached us. There was a total of 44 pontoon boats in this parade. After the last boat went by, the group was instructed to jump in the water and retrieve all the ducks, balls, beads and bags of candy. All such become trash if left in the lake, and we do enjoy the fellowship at lake clean up, but prefer less and less trash each year.

The next parade was scheduled for noon, and it was the personal water crafts. They are fast, so do not blink. Some had only one person, but many had three aboard, and there were flags flying from these wave runners. The waves were rough, and these folks stayed in a fairly straight line and hung on as they bounced through the rough waters. I was happy to be only a spectator on this busy lake day.

The last of the parades was the speed boats at 2 p.m., and I counted 28 boats in the parade. They are fast, loud and stir up some ocean-like waves. Each of these boats were at full speed, and most had decorations and flags on board. Some flags were almost bigger than the boat itself. These boats are way out, so it was a great time for my group to be on a float and be in the water. You could hear the yells of “Happy Fourth” over the loud engines. These parades are a tradition on Lake Mitchell for the people in the boats and those on land yelling and waving back. We truly live in the land of the free. Our freedom was paid for by many sacrifices. Because many gave, we are able to stand up and yell “Happy Fourth” and “Proud to live in the USA” to all our friends and neighbors here on Lake Mitchell.

There were a few fireworks around the lake on July 4. The Lake Mitchell HOBO sponsored fireworks held in Cargile Creek on July 5 at 9 p.m. Thanks to Jim McCormic and all his crew, we celebrated the largest fireworks ever in our 36th event. The music and fireworks were all excellent. Thanks to all the HOBO members who make contributions toward the fireworks display. We could not do it without you. This great show is just one of the benefits started by the Home Owners Boat Owners of Lake Mitchell. Hope some of you were one of the lucky ones to experience these exciting events on Lake Mitchell this year. If not, mark your calendar and join us next year.

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