Break out your red, white and blue – another booming Fourth of July celebration is in the works for the city of Wellman this year.

Wellman will hold its annual Independence Day celebration in South Park and downtown Wellman next Thursday, July 4.

The daylong celebration will kick off with a kiddie parade at 9:30 a.m. and finish with a fireworks show at dusk.

New additions to this year’s lineup of activities include a dunk tank, an inflatable slide, a cakewalk and a pie-eating contest.

The kiddie parade will start in front of the Wellman-Scofield Public Library, featuring kids, costumes and homemade floats.

Following the kiddie parade, the traditional parade will begin at 10 a.m., led by this year’s grand marshal Bernice Commers.

Commers will turn 105 on July 28. She was nominated by Chrissy Miller, activities director for Parkview Manor, the assisted living home where Commers resides. 

She will ride at the beginning of the parade, which will begin at the bottom of Eighth Avenue and head north before turning east on 13th Street toward Wellman Community Park.

Other activities offered throughout the day will include bingo, live entertainment, barrel rides, sprinklers and carnival games, where visitors can play to win patriotic prizes.

Tickets for activities and games will be priced at 50 cents each, $1 for three tickets or $5 for 20 tickets. 

Food and snow cones will be available for purchase from vendors. Freeman Foods will be selling ribs-on-a-stick and ribeye steak sandwiches during and after the parade.

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