By MARY TURNER
Knights Ferry gathered Saturday to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s break up with Great Britain, a milestone that marked the start of a new nation, even if the promise of freedom would take much longer to reach everyone who lived here. The community turned out to celebrate with an old-fashioned small-town gathering. The evening featured a potluck dinner, a giant, chocolate birthday cake and the largest fireworks display in the town’s history.
With everything from sliders and macaroni salad to delicious barbecue pulled pork and mac n’ cheese it was truly an all-American smorgasbord. In addition to the birthday cake, for dessert there were mini-cupcakes, frosted sugar cookies and Knights Ferry’s own world-famous ice cream.
Heather and her amazing creamery crew generously scooped and packaged individual servings of ice cream in lidded bowls, each topped with either fudge or caramel sauce and finished with festive red, white and blue sprinkles. Ice cream was served just in time for everyone to enjoy before settling in for the fireworks.
The highlight of the evening was the spectacular fireworks display, facilitated by the Voortman family. With a huge 20-foot American flag as the backdrop, the fireworks, which were donated by community members, were set up on a raised table to give them some height for easy viewing.
For the past several years, Dakota, Liam and Tristan Voortman, along with their cousins, have taken the lead in lighting the fireworks one by one, all set to Dave Voortman’s carefully curated playlist that had the crowd singing along to favorites like “Sweet Caroline” and “Country Roads.”
It was especially heartwarming to see the kids running around with sparklers, glowing necklaces, and bracelets while parents, grandparents and other pillars of the Knights Ferry community sat in camping chairs watching the show. As the fireworks lit up the tennis court, the scene perfectly captured the spirit of small-town America.
With everything going on in the world, and with America often feeling like a divided nation these days, it was especially meaningful to spend an evening in a small town where neighbors gathered beneath pink-tinged evening clouds to share a meal, sing along to familiar songs, and enjoy an old-fashioned community celebration together.
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Special shout out to Maya Camara and Teagan Malcom, Rick and Wendy Feichter’s granddaughters, who volunteered at the Odd Fellows breakfast and for the Knights Ferry Community Services District on Sunday, July 5. It’s always inspiring to see the next generation gathering with the elders to continue our community traditions. Thanks, girls!
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Ongoing Events:
Odd Fellows Breakfast - 1st Sunday of the month @ The Odd Fellows Lodge
Free Market - 2nd Tuesday, 3:30pm @ The Odd Fellows Lodge
Taco Tuesday - 5pm-8pm @ Rick’s Saloon
Thankful Thursday - 1st & 3rd Thursdays of the month. Free meal with drink purchase 5pm-8pm @ Rick’s Saloon
Knights Ferry Community Church Services - Sundays, 9:30am-10:30am
Upcoming Events:
Millers Hall Meeting - July 14, 9am @ The Miller’s Hall
Water Board Meeting - July 16, 7pm @ The Miller’s Hall
Odd Fellows Potluck Social - July 22, 6pm @ The Odd Fellows Lodge
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Do you have any exciting Knights Ferry local news, upcoming events, historical facts about the area, jokes or recipes to share? Contact Mary Turner at knightsferrynews@gmail.com
