July 4th Celebration 2008

July 4^th FESTIVAL FACTS: 

Organized in the late 1970's by local community groups, the July 4th Festival in North Lake Park serves as the central site for celebrating Independence Day in Loveland.  Festivities include food and game booths sponsored by nonprofit community organizations, entertainment sponsored by the City of Loveland, and the area’s largest and longest fireworks show sponsored by Loveland Fire and Rescue and the City of Loveland.  This annual celebration attracts steady crowds during the day culminating with well over 20,000 people in the North Lake Park area at dusk when the fireworks demonstration begins.
This year’s Festival will be held on Friday, July 4^th.

Visitors to the July 4th Festival are urged to bicycle or walk to the park as parking will be limited to paid car parking in the lots at Loveland High School or on-street parking in surrounding neighborhoods.  The Loveland Police Department has announced that 29^th Street from Custer Drive to Taft Avenue will be closed to through traffic all day July 4th with designated handicapped parking available from Aspen Drive to Taft on 29^th street.  The parking lots at Loveland High School will be available for public parking for a fee.  No RV parking will be allowed this year at Loveland High parking lot. Limited diagonal parking will be available along 29^th Street from Taft Avenue to Empire Avenue and from Aspen Drive to Custer Avenue.  Traffic inside the park will be limited to event participants and staff only. The Loveland Police Department has also asked that July 4^th visitors leave all pets, fireworks, and alcoholic beverages at home. 
North Lake Park is open to the public from 6:30am to 10:30pm – No after hours camping will be allowed.  No personal fireworks or alcoholic beverages will be allowed in the park.

Directions and Facts

The July 4th Festival is held annually at North Lake Park in Loveland.  Approximately 50 acres in size, North Lake offers a wide variety of amenities including picnic areas, a miniature train, athletic fields, outdoor basketball and racquetball courts, playgrounds, a swimming beach, and plenty of green open space.  Located at the corner of Taft Avenue and 29th streets in Northwest Loveland, North Lake Park also offers one the area’s finest outdoor entertainment venues at the Lynn and Norma Hammond Amphitheater.  Constructed and dedicated in 1996 by the Loveland Rotary Club, the City of Loveland, and many local philanthropists, this “state of the art” facility offers exceptional acoustics surrounded by grassed seating for close to 1,000 spectators.  A full slate of entertainment is planned for the July 4th Festival beginning around 11:00 a.m. and ending with the largest Fireworks show in Northern Colorado, at just after 9:15 p.m. This year’s fireworks will be approximately 30 minutes in length and culminate with a finale of close to 500 shots.  Visitors to North Lake Park during the annual July 4th Festival are urged to park in the paved parking areas at Loveland High School, 920 West 29th Street, or diagonally in the designated areas along 29^th Street.  Loveland High School will be charging to park in L.H.S. parking lots as a fundraiser for school activities.

North Lake Park is located in northwest Loveland.  Visitors accessing from I-25 should take the Highway 34 exit, travel west on Hwy. 34 into Loveland, go past Lake Loveland (on your right), turn right on Taft Avenue, take Taft north to 29th street, turn right on 29th, park in the lots at Loveland High School or along 29^th street. There will be a fee for parking in Loveland High School lots.

Parking For Visitors with Special Needs

Vehicles with valid Handicapped Parking passes will be allowed to park in the west parking lot at Loveland High School (for a fee).   Due to the launch area for the fireworks show, the main road into the park will be used by event staff and emergency vehicles only – no other vehicle traffic will be allowed.  All vehicles including those with valid handicapped stickers or plates are urged to use the west LHS parking lot.  All other visitors are urged to bike or walk to the park.  

Pets, Alcoholic Beverages, and Personal Fireworks

The Loveland Police and Fire Departments have requested that all visitors to the North Lake Park area leave their pets, alcoholic beverages, and personal fireworks at home as the risk for injury is quite high with the large crowds expected.  Violators will risk receipt of a summons for violating the City ordinance against consuming alcoholic beverages and/or shooting fireworks in a public place.

Overnight Camping in North Lake Park

Overnight camping is not allowed in City of Loveland Parks or Open Spaces.  On Thursday night July 3 and Friday morning July 4^th police will periodically patrol the park and clear out any illegal campers or partiers.  Violators will risk receipt of a summons for violating City ordinances against illegal camping and/or consuming alcoholic beverages in a public park.  The park will open at 6:30am for those early arrivals staking out a spot for the day’s events.  The swim beach area will be closed all day on Thursday July 3^rd and Friday July 4^th.  Only the basketball courts and the playground on the south end of the park will be open from 9:00am to 4:00pm on July 4^th.

2008 Participants

Organization                              Activity

Loveland Lions Club                      Hamburgers, Drinks, Train Rides

Loveland Historical Society            Lone Tree School Tours

Veteran Motor Car Club                 Automobile Show

Message of Life Ministries             Snow Cones, Ice Cream

Motivation for Ministry                   Dip n’ Dots Ice Cream

Loveland Luncheon Opt. Club   Hot Dogs, Brats, Drinks, Inflatables

Foot n’ Fiddle Square Dance Club  Dance Performance & booth

Sweetheart City Cloggers              Dance Performance    

Larimer County Democratic Party   Information

Girl’s Golf Club –                           Kettle Corn

Mountain View HS Football Boosters   Pizza, Drinks

Daughters of Am. Revolution           Information

Boy Scouts              Candy, Soda, Support Our Troop Stickers

Lovelanders for Good Government    Information, Children's Visor

Larimer County Republicans            Information

League of Women Voters                Information

Loveland Christian High School        Information, Face Painting

Center for Adult Learning                 Ball Toss Game, Water

Look Both Ways                             Glow Necklaces, Drinks

Search and Rescue                         Information

Calvary Chapel                                Bubbles, Frisbees

Medical Center of The Rockies         Free Blood Pressure Checks

Calvary United Reformed Church       Cotton Candy, Lemonade

The map of the park below delineates the booth locations and Parking for July 4th, 2008
(Click for full-size PDF):

FIREWORKS
INFORMATION
& REPORTING
HOTLINE:
(970) 962-2110