Traditional Fourth celebration canceled for 2020

You know it is a very upside-down year when the City of Seward’s annual Fourth of July Celebration Committee votes to not host a live Fourth of July Celebration in 2020 and merge their 2020 Fourth of July celebration event into their 2021 Fourth of July Celebration.

It is true. On May 18, the committee voted to cancel this year’s in-person celebration. Since this is obviously the year of change, incorporating technology into everything, the committee is working to make many aspects of the celebration into a virtual celebration. They will feature many of the events and annual features of Seward’s Fourth on their Facebook page and possibly their website.

“I have been involved in over 50 Fourth of July celebrations, and no one hated to halt the event this July 4 more than I did, but we are not above all the other wonderful events and happenings that have had to cancel,” Clark Kolterman, committee chair, said. “There has been so much heartache over cancellations this year and this is just one more. At least we can find comfort in knowing we have a bigger event in the making for July 4, 2021. Believe me, this next year will be very organized, as we will have had two years to make it great.”

Jessica Kolterman, committee secretary, said the all-volunteer group is working on ways to put parts of the celebration online as video clips, posting on the committee’s Facebook page.

“It will not be as good as the real thing, but for some, I think they will enjoy the attempt to give something that might resemble the Seward Fourth of July,” she said.

The Seward Fourth of July Celebration is celebrating their 153rd annual event and only a few of the activities will actually happen on July 4 due to the recent COVID-19 issues and rulings.

Committee members and event chairs shared their thoughts about the decision. “With all of the cancellations or postponement of major events and happenings in the area before and after this July 4, and after much deliberation, discussion and care, the committee felt that it would be irresponsible of the community to host thousands during the special day,” said Jerry Meyer, July 4 Celebration committee member and historian for the Nebraska National Guard Museum. “We are not able to even open the Museum on the Fourth due to the coronavirus National Guard directive, following the governor’s directive for group gatherings. However, we do plan on offering up to three visual virtual tours of the museum and they can be found on our website, the museum Facebook page and the Fourth of July Facebook page.”