A Very Rainy 4th

I think this has been the coldest and most rainy 4th of July I've ever had, but Sitka still had a great celebration. I didn't get to take any pictures due to the wet conditions! I'll try to get some from other people and post them soon. From Friday to Sunday there was a fair at the elementary school with booths run by some businesses and organizations from town. Each booth provides some sort of food or games. The most popular booths are the ones selling Filipino food, fish tacos or fry bread (fried dough basically). I went on Saturday and made sure to eat a little of everything!

Today I bundled up and donned my rain gear before attending the parade through down town Sitka. It was a classic small town parade with floats by many local groups and businesses, lots of candy being thrown and good spirits despite the steady rain. Afterwards a very funny tradition was upheld where the fire department and the coast guard face off in a water war. Both teams are armed with fire hoses and must spray a red, white and blue barrel and try to push it across the other team's end zone. There were powerful jets of water going every which way and lots of uniformed men running around with hoses being knocked down by the spray; it was pretty hilarious to watch.