Community adds to Fourth fun donations
A few years back, a video of several Asheville, Tennessee, police officers taking part in a neighborhood Independence Day block party went viral.
According to a post on the Good News Network website, someone had called in a complaint about a large slip and slide, saying is was blocking traffic.
However, when officers Joe Jones and Carrie Lee arrived, they found everything to be in order and instead of shutting down the slip and slide, they decided decided to join in on the fun instead.
The slide had been put together from scratch by some of the community dads, but an anonymous neighbor believed it to be blocking traffic and called in a complaint.
However, Jones and Lee found the slide was still narrow enough for cars to pass. So, the website reported that instead of shutting it down, they asked if they could take a turn down the watery ride.
Lee even requested a garbage bag so she wouldn’t get her uniform wet. However, Jones is pictured in the viral video as riding down the slide in an inner tube with one of the neighborhood kids.
The video, which was shared by the police department the next day, was widely shared and attracted more than 40,000 views on a news station's YouTube channel.
The officers' sense of fun was hailed in the community, with many applauding it as a great way to build community relationships.
"This is what I call great police outreach to the community," wrote one man in a comment underneath the post. "They showed they are people, too, and can have fun if the fun is not interfering with anyone else. The complainer should have gotten in line for the next ride."
Locally, the one throwing the biggest block party are the Sandpoint Lions Club with their kids parade, Grand Parade and one of the best fireworks shows around.
After taking a year off due to the pandemic, the club is again hosting the celebration and has plans to make it bigger and better than ever.
The parade's theme this year is "It Takes a Community" and the event will showcase the many local businesses which impacted by the pandemic, and celebrate the community and all residents, Lions Club officials said.
Applications are being accepted for the Grand Parade, and will be until the morning of the parade. The children’s parade will start at 9 a.m., and the Grand Parade will begin at 10 a.m.
While the club has the funds to cover the costs of the parades, celebration, and fireworks show, they're looking to make them bigger and better than ever.
Among today's donations is a $200 donation from Ben Olson, bringing the total to about $2,500.
Although overall fundraising for this year is limited due to the short turnaround time, Lions Club officials held a raffle in 2019 to pay for 2020 fireworks, which were then run by Sandpoint Independence Day, Inc. instead.
Those funds, in addition to community donations, will be used for the Fourth of July events.
Those who wish to contribute to the July 4 fundraising can do so by clicking the donation link on the Lion’s Facebook page, facebook.com/SandpointLionsClub, or dropping off donations at the Daily Bee, 310 Church St.