Thousands celebrate America's 250th across Omaha area with parades and fireworks

Quandahl walked outside her family’s house in Ralston and watched as the Ralston Independence Day Fun Run made its way down the street. She watched as the runners ran by and circled back twice in order to get three miles in.

Although she doesn’t own the house anymore, this year she stood and watched from the driveway as her granddaughter, who now lives in the house, ran in the event.

Family. And patriotism. 

Those were the themes throughout Nebraska Saturday, as people gathered to commemorate the 250th anniversary of America's founding. 

In the Omaha area, celebrations stretched from the suburbs to the heart of downtown.

Among those celebrations, Ralston marked its 66th annual Independence Day celebration with two days of events, including its iconic parade and a theme paying homage to America’s 250th. The event drew thousands of people.

Kiley Compton, a Ralston Middle School teacher, said it was her first time watching the parade after walking in it for more than five years. Compton said she was excited to see her students in the parade and celebrate the country’s milestone.

“It’s really cool,” Compton said. “And to have it happen also at a time where we are hosting the World cup and having all these visitors is, I think, just kind of a really cool mixture of events happening for us all at once.”

In Ralston, paradegoers caught candy, watched performers and listened to the sounds of their cherished tradition.

Families and friends all cheered as the parade made its way down the route with neighborhood fireworks echoing in the distance.

Hannah Carroll, a recent Ralston High School graduate, enjoyed seeing former classmates participating in the celebration.

The group said they have been coming to the parade as long as they can remember and that this year’s festivities were nothing short of what they expected.

“I feel like they always kind of go all out in Ralston,” Carroll said.

The grand marshal of the parade was Nebraska's first kid governor, Charlie Couch, a fifth grade student at Meadows Elementary school in Ralston.

Quandahl stayed and watched the parade just as she has for years. 

“At the beginning, there were just a trickling of people,” Quandahl said.

Quandahl said that over the past years she has seen the parade grow and now tons of community groups come together to march. 

“It makes me feel very thankful and it just bring bubbles inside of me,” Quandahl said.

Allison Tiller with the Cindy Lou and the Who Who Done Its band was one of many acts in the parade. She said that being a part of the event is always so much fun and the band has enjoyed every year they’ve performed.

“I just love seeing all the crowds,” Tiller said. “I think it’s really exciting to see so many people come together in our city and I love seeing the kids and how happy they are.”

After the parade, attendees were invited to cool off with local fire departments who hosted water fights and a foam party at Granary Green.

Ralston started celebrating the holiday on Friday afternoon with a special open house at the Archives Museum. Other events included Picnic on the Green & Pie Bake Off at Granary Green, Family Street Dance and a Lemon Fresh Days concert.

Although rain moved evening events inside, the party continued.

Friday's festivities ended with a fireworks show at the Liberty First Credit Union Arena that was broadcast live on News Channel Nebraska.

Saturday's events kicked off at 7:30 a.m. with a fun run followed by a ceremony hosted by the Sons of the American Revolution and Daughters of the American Revolution. A children's parade ran through Independence Square where kids decorated bikes and wagons.

The town also hosted the Ladonna Johnson fountain dedication before the main parade.

The Ralson event was one of several on the calendar in the Omaha area. 

Werner Park was set to host a fireworks show following the Omaha Storm Chasers game. Heartwood Preserve had a Fourth of July Beach Party with giant waterslides and oversized sandboxes for hands-on sand sculpting.

The fifth annual Independence Day Celebration at The RiverFront was set to kick off Saturday night featuring music by the Omaha Symphony and a fireworks show.