The floods of recent past may have wreaked havoc on Ames, but nothing can dampen the spirit of the Fourth of July. This year, the place to celebrate is in Brookside park for day-long red, white and blue fun.

Spark the Spirit, sponsored by the Ames Jaycees, has something for everyone. The day-long birthday celebration kicks off at 7 a.m. with a morning Fun Run/Walk in and around the park. There is a fee of $5, but no preregistration is required. With the exercise part of the program out of the way, settle into the feed mode with a breakfast sponsored by the Iowa Egg Council at 8 a.m.

The gluttony that is The Fourth continues with a mass picnic in the park at noon. Everyone is welcome to bring their lunch or purchase food from one of the many vendors that will be present. Happy Joe’s, the Multi-Bean Coffee Company and others will be on hand as well as stands selling cotton candy, popcorn, sno-cones and gyros.

Wallaby’s will supply all the fun of the mid-way, but without the rides. They’ll be serving up brat burgers, corndogs and funnel-cakes just to name a few of the holiday favorites. “We’ve never tried it before,” Wallaby’s owner Don O’Brien said of the carnivalesque menu. “So we’re either not very good at it; or maybe we are.”

Fear not lovers of grain— the Wallybus will also be serving beer to those of age. “We have the capabilities so we’re moving in,” O’Brien said of the mobile home turned mobile bar. O’Brien said he wasn’t sure what the beer selection would include, but you can be sure it’ll be refreshing.

And what celebration would be complete without live entertainment? From music to dance, Spark the Spirit is the place to be on the Fourth. If you thought the line-up at Lollapalooza was out there, check out the roster of performers scheduled to appear.

The Ames Municipal Band, the Red Friar Dance Club and Tarnished Brass from the Central Iowa Symphony will dazzle sparkler fiends on both the main stage and Maple Pavilion throughout the day. Scottish Country Dancers will amaze crowds and thrill cross-dressers at 1 p.m., and the Taz Band will cop a groove for happy libertarians at 5 p.m.

“We’ll be doing some jigs, reels and Strathspey,” said Linda Lewis Lieberman, a teacher for the Scottish Country Dancers. “We also have two accomplished singers, Peggy Faden and David Michael, who will sing Scottish songs by Robert Burns.”

Lieberman also said the audience will be invited to participate in a Scottish waltz a friend of hers wrote called “Waltzing To Iowa.” “It’s good because of the Sesquicentennial,” Lieberman said.

If men in skirts doesn’t thrill you, how about people dropping from the sky? Skydivers will be landing in the park at 12:15 p.m. and those really living on the edge will be able to ride in a tethered balloon. There will also be a complete Mini-Golf course for the faint-of-heart and T-shirt Tye-Dye fun for kids. Also, the first annual “Running of the Duck” race down Squaw Creek will be held.

The day will culminate with the Annual Ames Jaycees fireworks to be shot off at 9 p.m. in Stuart Smith Park. Oooers and ahhers will be able to see the display from the Hilton parking lot and the west end of Brookside Park.

Families are encouraged to walk to the park and additional parking will be available in the Hilton Coliseum parking lot. Cy-Ride will be running a shuttle to the park from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. for 25 cents. Handicapped individuals will be able to park in Brookside.

Brookside Park

4th of July Festivities

7:OOAM * Fun Run/Walk – No pre-registration, $5 entry fee includes breakfast.

8:00AM * Breakfast – sponsored by lowa Egg Council and Cub Foods

1O:OOAM * 3-on-3 Basketball Tourney begins. Registration begins at 9AM. All ages welcome to participate!!

12:00PM . Mass Picnic begins – Bring your own lunch or try…

* Wallaby’s Food & Beer Garden

* Happy Joe’s Pizza

* Baked Goods/Lemonade by Story City Jaycees

* Chuck Wagon Catering

* Sno Cones & Cotton Candy by Ralph Ball

* Gyro Sandwiches by Matthew Goodman

* Multi-Bean Coffee Company

* Watermelon Stand

* Muzzle Gun Salute to the lowa Sesquicentennial Huey Helicopter lands in Brookside

* Community displays and booths open 2:30PM . Skydivers float into the park. Kids Games begin – bring your quarters for Softball Toss. Penny Toss. Duck Pond. Frisbee Toss. Ring Toss. Toilet Toss and Lollipop Tree.

1:OOPM * Wallaby’s Beer Garden opens

* Scottish Country Dancers of Central lowa – Main Stage

1:15PM * Farwell Brown book signing and reminiscing

2:00PM * Cardinal Club Gymnastics – Main Stage “Floating of the Ducks” Kids rubber duck race down Squaw Creek – Kids Heat.

First place = Bike courtesy of Sears. Ducks available at Brookside that day!

3:30PM * “Floating of the Ducks” Adult rubber duck race down Squaw Creek – Adult Heat

First place = $200

4:00PM * Central lowa Symphony Tarnished Brass – Main Stage

5:00-7:00PM * The TAZ BAND on the Main Stage.