Feel free to take survey about July 4 in Aspen

This past Sunday Aspen celebrated Independence Day, July 4, in a unique way. Last year’s parade and fireworks were canceled because of COVID-19 and high fire danger. This year as we slowly emerged from COVID-19 and with continuing high fire danger, our town was not sure what an Independence Day celebration might look like.

Planning for July 4 takes many months. When the decision needed to be made on what this year’s event was going to look like, we were still wearing masks and under public health orders.

In 2019 after the Fourth of July parade, I wrote a letter to the editor and Aspen Chamber Resort Association asking them to consider a more environmentally friendly parade. I sent another letter to the editor and the Aspen City Council early in the winter of 2021. As a result, a Fourth of July committee was formed and with a little ingenuity and a lot of work we re-imagined a new kind of celebration — a street-fair, complete with a children’s bike “parade” and booths or events scattered throughout downtown from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., finishing the day with a laser light show at 9:45 p.m. in Wagner Park.

The Fourth of July committee would like to know from our community what you appreciate most about this important holiday. We are asking you to go to http://www.aspencommunityvoice.com and answer our survey to help us plan for the future. We are gathering ideas from many places, and we would like to hear from you!

Thank you ahead of time for your thoughtful comments and suggestions. This is what Aspen is all about, creative ideas, community, and participation.

Stephanie Soldner

Member, Fourth of July committee

Aspen