Al Quaal Recreation Area hosting July 4th party for kids

Public fireworks displays are obviously one of the highlights of July 4th, but those are nighttime activities. Many kids will want to do something fun during the day to tide them over until the fireworks begin.

The Greater Ishpeming-Negaunee Area Chamber of Commerce thinks it may have the answer. The chamber held a ‘Party In The Park West’ event last year on the 4th.

“It was a great success,” GINCC communications and marketing director Ashley Geist said. “We had nine bounce houses to keep the kids busy until fireworks. This year, we’re going to have seven bounce houses at Al Quaal Recreation Area during the 4th of July Community Picnic.”

‘Party In The Park West’ runs from 2 to 8 p.m. The chamber needs about 10 adult volunteers to make sure the kids are safe while having fun, helping the little ones on and off of the bounce houses.

“Last year, we just had them going from 5 to 9 p.m., and that was a solid chunk of time,” Geist said. “This year, we’re splitting up the volunteer shifts in two-hour increments so that nobody’s sitting outside in the hot sun all day.”

Wristbands and tickets for the bounce houses will be available at a tent set up by the chamber. Geist says if you’re interested in volunteering, you can ask about that at the tent as well.