Red, white and blue flooded the streets for a festive Fourth of July weekend, with fireworks lighting up the night Thursday and the parade bringing crowds out on Friday.
The Fourth of July celebration is one of Ames’ largest of the summer, a weekend packed with fireworks, parades and food trucks. The fireworks took place Thursday night, the day before the Fourth, at Jack Trice Stadium. Thousands of people filled the parking lots with their families and friends, sparklers in one hand and drinks in the other. The fireworks show started at 10 p.m. and lasted approximately an hour.
The next day, the city hosted a free pancake breakfast in the morning, followed by the parade. For the first time, the parade had a theme: Stars, Strips and Summertime.
