Lone Tree celebrates America

BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Holding a small American ag and wearing a red, white and blue bib that reads, “My First Fourth,” baby Lishan Sharath ashed a wide smile

July 4 as a crowd of people traveled down the sidewalk near Lone Tree e Independence Day festivities in the City of Lone Tree had begun, starting with the city’s “4th of July Family Fun Ride & Stroll” event where families gathered at the school to decorate their bikes, scooters, wagons and strollers before heading on a roughly 1-mile journey

It was the rst year Lone Tree resident Mallika B. R. attended the event, decorating the stroller with

“He’s having fun,” she said about her son, before then breaking into a e family was among an estimated 400 people who attended the event, which featured complimentary decoration bags and a chance to meet a mounted police o cer.

After learning about the event through Facebook, Courtney Viet, a Parker resident, decided to attend with her children, 5-year-old Samuel and 7-year-old Amelia, for the rst time this year.

“I think this is wonderful, that they’re doing this,” Viet said, saying she most looked forward to the family bonding time. “I just love community.”

Once the decorating had ended and families lined up to make the trek to Prairie Sky Park, Mayor Jackie Millet took a moment to thank people for attending and recognize the meaning of Independence Day.

“It’s about barbecues and fun and picnics and reworks, but it’s also about the men and women who fought and sacri ced to make America this fabulous country that we all get to live in today,” Millet said. “We’re so excited to see you here. We are so excited to celebrate this country and our independence.” e morning celebration was just the start of Lone Tree’s festivities. e city also hosted a “Family Fun Park” event at Prairie Sky Park that featured in atables and games for families to enjoy. An estimated 2,500 people attended the event, which went from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Communications Director Nate Jones said via email July 5.

Celebrations resumed in the evening with the “Party in the Park at Prairie Sky” event featuring live music and a reworks show. Jones said the city “very likely succeeded last year’s attendance” of roughly 7,000 people.

Preparing for the ‘party of the year’

Lone Tree Arts Center Executive Director Leigh Chandler described the city’s Independence Day celebration as “the biggest city event that we put on.”

“It’s been going on for such a long time that people really have come to expect it, look forward to it — it’s, like, the party of the year,” Chandler said.

Choosing a favorite event of the day is di cult because “the whole day is just amazing,” Chandler said.

“I do love the family fun park (event) because I think that that’s something that not a lot of other cities do,” she said. “And people really love it, and it’s so much fun to see kids having such a great time.”

Jones said he loves the family ride and stroll event because it “essentially aligns with the vision of the city” as having a multimodal transportation network.

“People do get to ride their bikes from Lone Tree Elementary all the way to Prairie Sky Park, and there’s trails to support that,” he said.

Not long after July 4, city sta