Chanhassen hopes to celebrate the Fourth of July...rain or shine
CHANHASSEN—The 4th of July is a holiday worth celebrating, but the weather during the holiday, not so much.
It's caused some communities to postpone or cancel events. In Chanhassen, residents and city leaders worry storms will disrupt the 40th anniversary of its 4th of July Celebration. The three day celebration brings in 70,000 people to Chanhassen's City Center Park.
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"Chanhassen is a very calm, humble town most of the year," Charlie Hansen with Dandy Lion Coffee said. "And then what happens on the 4th is madness. There's people just walking down the streets, it's filled up in here, concerts. It's a wild party."
Despite potentially iffy weather, attendees remained optimistic.
"It's never happened like this before. So, we'll see." John Rischmiller said taking cover during a spat of heavy rain. "We all want train. But not today!"
"I don't think it's going to last. If it misses us, great. If not, we roll up our windows and wait for it to pass," Steve Olson said. "It's a fun day. I'm not ready to go home yet!"
"We're going to be here rain or shine," Paul Maloney, with Dandy Lion Coffee said. "Participate in the community and celebrate Independence Day!"
Skies cleared long enough for some afternoon fun and one of the main event's, the parade, went on as planned. Still, the forecast remains top of mind.
"We've has a lot of meetings this morning. Keeping an eye on the weather," Chanhassen's Parks and Recreation Director Jerry Ruegemer said.
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Ruegemer has spent the last 33 years planning the city's 4th of July Celebration. He says in its 40 years of existence, storms have never canceled fireworks. But if it comes to it, he's ready to make the call.
"What we can control is having a good plan in place and up most, keeping our resident and people coming to the event safe," Ruegemer said. "And that's really our number on priority."
The city will make the final decision on fireworks by 7 p.m. All cancellations and delays on 4th of July events can be found here.
