PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — While Tropical Storm Arthur’s presence was felt over the holiday weekend, the Presque Isle Elks Lodge 1954 was able to squeeze in its ninth annual July Fourth Community Celebration at Riverside Park.
“I’m the supreme optimist, so [the night before] when I saw the lightning striking, and the wind blowing and the rain coming down so hard that it was coming in through the doors and the windows, I was thinking, ‘Well, this will get rid of the rain and it’s going to be great tomorrow,’” laughed Alan Harding, Elks exalted ruler.
“We’ve used rain dates on one occasion; otherwise it’s gone off every Fourth of July,” he said, “and this year was no exception.”
The recent heat and impending rain caused the Elks to modify their activities slightly as the dunking booth and boat rides on the Presque Isle Stream were canceled.
“The water level [Thursday] was so low that you couldn’t get a boat in the water without chewing up a prop on the first sandbar or rock, so we couldn’t do the boat rides this year. It puts people — and the equipment — at risk,” said Harding. “Plus if we had put in a dock last night, with the thunderstorm that we had passing through here, we might be looking for it down at the dam somewhere.
“With there being some sprinkles in the morning, we thought, ‘What’s the point of dunking somebody who’s already wet from the rain?’” he said. “We were also going to use a second larger bounce house but it can’t have any moisture because it’s so large … it takes days outside to dry. If you don’t have good drying weather, you get mold, and we don’t want that because it’s an expensive piece of equipment. We made due with the smaller one and the kids seemed to enjoy it.”
All other events including a barbecue featuring hamburgers and hot dogs, games and contests for children, a bounce house and a car show were held.
“There were a lot of car owners who didn’t show up because of the rain,” Harding said, “but the attendees are showing up and they’re the important ones.”
To supplement the loss of the boat rides, Molly the Trolley was on hand. Though rides weren’t provided, guests were encouraged to look the trolley over and learn about next year’s planned event.
“Next year at the 10th annual Elks’ Community Celebration, Molly will have a special Fourth of July tour just for this event. The Presque Isle Historical Society will take people on a tour highlighting things that have special significance to the Fourth of July … what used to be the Presque Isle Air Base, the Presque Isle Air Museum and things like that,” said Harding. “The trolley will make multiple runs and it will be exclusively for this event.”
Jeff Lowe, of Mapleton, attended the outing with his granddaughter, Piper Pelkey.
“My wife and I wanted to bring our granddaughter down to see everything that was going on. This is our first time at this event, and I like it; there’s a lot to see and do,” he said. “Typically on the Fourth we would have a cookout and just stay at home, but this time we decided to do something a little different. It always tastes better when somebody else cooks.
“Piper loves it here. She loves all the things to play on at the park, the kids, and she’s been in the bounce house. She had some chips and she’ll have a hot dog when things settle down,” said Lowe. “Everything’s a little too exciting for her right now.”
Lowe said it’s nice that the Elks host the community-wide celebration.
“I think it’s a good idea,” he said. “It’s not the free food, but it’s getting involved in the community. They’re an active group and I appreciate what they do for people. I think this is something I’ll come back to again. It’s a fun time.”
While attendance may have been down somewhat this year, Harding said he was pleased with the celebration.
“We want to be here for the community and we understand that inclement weather is going to keep some people away for a variety of reasons,” he said, “but we still have a nice attendance here. People are enjoying the event, and as long as we have people who will come out to enjoy the event, we’re ecstatic. Clearly it’s a success when you have people showing up and they’re leaving with a smile on their face. We’re happy to be part of the community and be able to put on a free community-wide event and have them come celebrate with us. That’s why we do it, and we also like to point out exactly why we are here.
“The Elks is a uniquely American organization. We’re not international; we’re American. We’re a distinctly patriotic organization. A lot of people don’t realize that Flag Day that we just celebrated June 14 was, in fact, a result of work of the Elks. It used to be known as Elks’ Flag Day,” said Harding. “The Elks actually were organized to assist the Civil War veterans, so it’s an organization that has its roots in support of veterans, and we continue to try to fill that role. We want to make sure people remember what this holiday is all about. We have a lot to celebrate here today.”
