Fourth of July parades, events in Twin Cities battle weather

EDINA, Minn. (KMSP) - Morning storms in the Twin Cities metro area threw a wrench into the plans for many families looking to celebrate the Fourth of July. 

A heavy rain storm caused the City of Eagan to cancel their morning parade, but other city parades, like Edina, still went on as planned. Parade-goers along 50th Street in Edina found cover under awnings, while others, like Cristy Tombarge, used a giant beach umbrella.

“We had it ready to go because of the heat warning - not a rain warning,” said Tombarge of Columbia Heights. “We were trying to prepare for a lot of sun and heat.”

“I asked a few people before venturing too far,” said John Haldeman, who attended the parade. “They said it’s on unless there’s lightning.”

Organizers of Edina’s popular July Fourth tradition pushed back the start time a few minutes because of Mother Nature. Otherwise, the parade appeared to go off without a hitch. 

Meanwhile, just 20 miles west of Edina, hundreds of hot dog buns were being put away as a decades-old tradition was snapped in Chaska. The Jonathan Association’s Independence Day kiddie festivities, including a parade around Lake Grace, were canceled. Organizers say it’s the first time in 51 years that they called off the event.

“We got too much rain and it really got ugly out there,” said Vern Phillips with Chaska Maintenance. “We didn’t want to take chance of anybody getting struck by lightning or anything like that. It was really crazy raining.”

Chaska resident Mary Booth, however, says she wasn’t going to allow a little rain to wash out her grandchildren’s Fourth of July fun.

“We went and bought some fireworks,” said Booth. “I’m 70 years old. I never bought fireworks. That was a learning curve and then we lit off some fireworks.”