Baton Rouge celebrates freedom
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Photos: 4th of July in the Baton Rouge Area
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Hundreds turn out for boat parade
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Food, fireworks draw hundreds to downtown
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Boyd Alexander isn’t the type to wear his patriotism on his sleeve.
Alexander, 78, wears his patriotism, well, pretty much everywhere.
From the Uncle Sam top hat that adorned his head to the American flag boots that covered his feet, Alexander was dressed for the occasion during the Fourth of July celebration in downtown Baton Rouge.
Alexander, of Natchez, Miss., sat with his wife of 54 years, Marge, under the tower outside the USS Kidd Veterans Memorial and Museum to avoid the rain while they waited for the fireworks display to start.
Alexander said he never misses a chance to show his love for the country.
“I’m very patriotic and I love this country,” said Alexander, who also wore bright red pants and a button-down American flag shirt.
The afternoon rains didn’t keep a few hundred people from celebrating the holiday on the Mississippi River, listening to bands or walking along River Road looking for a traditional American or spicy Louisiana staple to eat.
The rainy weather likely kept more people away than any concerns about public safety, said Maury Drummond, executive director of the Kidd. Last year, two innocent bystanders were shot and seriously injured following the fireworks show.
A large crowd was expected, as always, to show up for Friday evening’s fireworks show, presented by WBRZ Channel 2 and The Advocate.
Early afternoon visitors sat under umbrellas on the levee while they listened to the bands. Later, two F-15s flew over the Kidd before it had its annual re-creation of an air attack.
The show was familiar to Alexander, a native Texan who served in the Navy in the Korean War and spent most of his life since, he says, trying to strike it rich as a self-employed oil man. Alexander said he has been coming to Baton Rouge’s Independence Day celebration for more than 10 years.
He usually volunteers with other veterans at the Kidd before moving outside to relax, listen to the bands and watch the fireworks, he said. While he doesn’t always get completely dressed up, he said, he nearly always wears the boots he got on sale for $9.95 at a New Orleans department store in the mid-1960s.
The boots have also been a companion on patriotic holidays and his many trips to the voting booth, he said, later adding that he’s voted every year since he turned 21.
“This is the best country in the world,” he said. “No question at all.”
Celebrations continue today as the nation observes the Independence Day weekend.
Clinton
RED, WHITE & BLUEBERRY FESTIVAL: Celebration of America’s independence includes Clinton Community Market, where shoppers can stock up on blueberries and blueberry pies, cobblers, jellies, and antiques, art, plants and collectibles. Tickets for children’s games with prizes, inflatable amusements, are $1 or $10 for an all-day ticket. Gospel choirs will perform, as well as music by Bayou Blasters, at Landmark Bank porch from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. A blueberry cooking contest is at Feliciana Harvest Church on St. Helena Street.
St. Amant
ST. AMANT VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT CELEBRATION: Jimmy Babin Complex, at the end of Bayou Terrace Road. Food, music and a Diversion Canal Idol singing contest. The event starts at 11 a.m. and ends with fireworks. Proceeds go to building a new fire station on the Diversion Canal.
Alexander, 78, wears his patriotism, well, pretty much everywhere.
From the Uncle Sam top hat that adorned his head to the American flag boots that covered his feet, Alexander was dressed for the occasion during the Fourth of July celebration in downtown Baton Rouge.
Alexander, of Natchez, Miss., sat with his wife of 54 years, Marge, under the tower outside the USS Kidd Veterans Memorial and Museum to avoid the rain while they waited for the fireworks display to start.
Alexander said he never misses a chance to show his love for the country.
“I’m very patriotic and I love this country,” said Alexander, who also wore bright red pants and a button-down American flag shirt.
The afternoon rains didn’t keep a few hundred people from celebrating the holiday on the Mississippi River, listening to bands or walking along River Road looking for a traditional American or spicy Louisiana staple to eat.
The rainy weather likely kept more people away than any concerns about public safety, said Maury Drummond, executive director of the Kidd. Last year, two innocent bystanders were shot and seriously injured following the fireworks show.
A large crowd was expected, as always, to show up for Friday evening’s fireworks show, presented by WBRZ Channel 2 and The Advocate.
Early afternoon visitors sat under umbrellas on the levee while they listened to the bands. Later, two F-15s flew over the Kidd before it had its annual re-creation of an air attack.
The show was familiar to Alexander, a native Texan who served in the Navy in the Korean War and spent most of his life since, he says, trying to strike it rich as a self-employed oil man. Alexander said he has been coming to Baton Rouge’s Independence Day celebration for more than 10 years.
He usually volunteers with other veterans at the Kidd before moving outside to relax, listen to the bands and watch the fireworks, he said. While he doesn’t always get completely dressed up, he said, he nearly always wears the boots he got on sale for $9.95 at a New Orleans department store in the mid-1960s.
The boots have also been a companion on patriotic holidays and his many trips to the voting booth, he said, later adding that he’s voted every year since he turned 21.
“This is the best country in the world,” he said. “No question at all.”
Celebrations Saturday
Clinton
RED, WHITE & BLUEBERRY FESTIVAL: Celebration of America’s independence includes Clinton Community Market, where shoppers can stock up on blueberries and blueberry pies, cobblers, jellies, and antiques, art, plants and collectibles. Tickets for children’s games with prizes, inflatable amusements, are $1 or $10 for an all-day ticket. Gospel choirs will perform, as well as music by Bayou Blasters, at Landmark Bank porch from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. A blueberry cooking contest is at Feliciana Harvest Church on St. Helena Street.
St. Amant
ST. AMANT VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT CELEBRATION: Jimmy Babin Complex, at the end of Bayou Terrace Road. Food, music and a Diversion Canal Idol singing contest. The event starts at 11 a.m. and ends with fireworks. Proceeds go to building a new fire station on the Diversion Canal.
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