Wow! What an extraordinary and memorable 4th of July celebration!
A special THANK YOU! shoutout to our INCREDIBLE SPONSORS! Your support has been invaluable in making this event such an unbelievable success. Thank you for believing in our mission and contributing to its realization. We truly couldn’t have done it without you! (Please see our sponsor list in the below ad.)
To our dedicated team of organizers – you’ve worked tirelessly to ensure every detail was perfect. Your hard work and dedication have not gone unnoticed and we are so grateful for everything you’ve done to bring this event to life!
To the American Legion and their volunteers for starting the day off with raising our beautiful and majestic flag with the National Anthem sung so beautifully. THANK YOU!
To Les Sheneberger with the Council Community Church for providing a breakfast feast fit for kings (and then sent the proceeds as a donation to support a Kenya mission). THANK YOU!
To Lauren Harris and her team of volunteers in organizing the parade and keeping up the enthusiasm through an unprecedented downpour of rain. Lauren also undertook the operations management of the event and created the city events map. THANK YOU!
To the Sponsors of the parade – Ancora Hospice, Shy Simon’s Pizza, Dad’s Place, Tosha’s Bulk Herbs, Huptye, J. P. Landscape, CTC, Wilson’s Lounge, Council Computers, Adams County Sheriff’s Office, City of Council. THANK YOU!
To David Church and Eric Smith and the porcupine volunteers for keeping the porcupine races grooving! Oh, that wet porcupine smell! David also initiated and launched the screamin’ new Soapbox Derby this year and Eric was invaluable in making it happen! And what an amazing turn out! Everyone start building your cars for next year, it’s going to bigger and better… if that’s possible! Cars need steering, brakes, and 3 to 4 wheels. Ready… Set... GO! THANK YOU!
To the sponsors of the Soapbox Derby – Shy Simon’s Pizza, Zims Hot Springs, Dan Randall’s Plumbing, Brown’s Mountain Market, M&W Market, Huptye, ACHC, The Boardroom at Wilson’s Lounge, Crawford and Olsen RE-Cheyenne Bennion, realtor. THANK YOU!
To the Porcupine Handlers! Wow! Just wow! We had forty-four handlers and twenty-two porcupines racing this year! The races wouldn’t be anything without you. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us and for adhering to the requirements to keep the porcupines safe. THANK YOU!
To Dr. Bruce Gardner, veterinarian of Heartland Animal Hospital for volunteering your time and expertise to evaluate our porcupine racing buddy’s health and verifying the porcupines and handlers are safe and well cared for. THANK YOU!
To Jennifer Rininger for building and hosting one of the largest vendor markets ever seen in downtown Council and keeping it running for two days. Jennifer also hosted the downright smashing Porcupine Car Show this year! THANK YOU!
To Trina Jokela of Council Loggers Jubilee and her team of volunteers for a spectacular saw contest that exceeded expectations and included even more fun and exciting events than can be named! THANK YOU!
To Rorrie Burgess with the Friends of the Council Free Library Board of volunteers for hosting the kids play area with giant, rained-out and drenched, water slides that were apparently too wet for kids this year. I didn’t know that was possible! THANK YOU!
To Ken Feil and Kevin Feil of Economy Roofing and their team for creating another outstanding fireworks show. The amount of training, certifications, and logistics that goes into this show is more than you can imagine! The more I learn, the more appreciation and respect I have for these guys. THANK YOU!
To Bill Brown of The Boardroom at Wilson’s Lounge for providing sound and announcement opportunities for the parade, for banner set up downtown, for personally taking charge and providing and caring for trash receptacles for the entire event, for providing raffle ticket sales opportunities, and for even more than I can list. THANK YOU!
To the Coaches of the Lumberjack High School Golf and the Council Golf Course for another crazy, fun, and snazzy porcupine scramble! THANK YOU!
To Shani Smith at Huptye for executing and handling the event T-shirts, hats, and other cool swag. She also instituted the event banners along all the light posts throughout downtown. Look for more event banners coming soon! THANK YOU!
To Channel Sanderson of Council Computers for an impressive undertaking at “winging it” when announcing the parade participants because all the detailed information was soaking wet and unreadable in a mess of dissolving papers. Channel also provided lots of printing and the use of his storefront window for the Chamber to display upcoming information. THANK YOU!
To Brian Goodwin and his donation of the gun that was raffled and for keeping the raffle alive throughout the whole event! THANK YOU!
To Ryan Baldwin for designing the event poster that everyone clings to during the event, sharing her expertise with tech support, and for her support and efforts in the background with so many other teams! THANK YOU!
To Katie Church, our fabulous and fearless Council Chamber of Commerce President, for taking one day at a time and leading all of us through every issue and still keeping us together as a team. Your leadership brought this event to its realization! You didn’t miss a beat, Katie! You rock! THANK YOU!
And, of course, the countless volunteers! You were the glue that filled in the gaps. Thanks to your involvement, the event was a tremendous success. Whether you volunteered your time, contributed resources, sang the national anthem, flipped pancakes, paraded in the pouring rain, or just showed up with good vibes – you were a part of what made it great. THANK YOU!
To our amazing community – Thank you for cheering on the parade in the rain, betting on wet porcupines, racing in box cars, dancing in the streets, mesmerizing under bursts of lights in the night sky, and simply showing up with enthusiasm and a smile. You played a vital role in creating a memorable experience for all. You brought the energy, the heart, and maybe even a little chaos (the good kind, of course!).
Every year, it is truly inspiring to see our community come together, connect, and celebrate. Events like these remind us of the strength, kindness, and unity we share in Council.
We are already dreaming up next year’s fun, fabulous, unforgettable, (and larger) 4th of July celebration – taking in the magnificence of 250 years of freedom! Please consider supporting us again! Contact us at info@councilchamberofcommerce.com.
Until then, give yourselves a high five or just take a long nap – you’ve definitely earned it.
In Council, we are proud to be Americans! I would gladly stand up next to you and celebrate our freedom everyday. Until next year, let freedom ring!
With tons of gratitude, the Council Chamber of Commerce
