2022 Grant County Fair and Rodeo Princesses Macy Carter and Raney Anderson wave to crowds during the Fourth of July Parade in Prairie City on Monday, July 4, 2022.

GRANT COUNTY — Communities around Grant County are gearing up for their annual Fourth of July festivities, with a four-day slate of events in Dayville and celebrations on July 4 in Prairie City and Monument.

“Deep Roots, High Hopes” is the theme for this year’s Dayville Fourth of July celebration, beginning on Saturday, July 1, with a movie showing in the city park at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 2, features a Fourth of July 5K walk/run with registration at 7 a.m. and a race at 8 a.m. Monday, July 3, will see a softball tournament at the Dayville School football field at 8:30 a.m. and live country dance music at the Dayville Community Hall, with food by Rim Rock Grill, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Dayville’s main Independence Day celebration takes place on Tuesday, July 4, starting with breakfast at the Dayville Community Church from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., followed by classic car show registration at City Hall at 9 a.m. After lining up at 9:30 a.m., the town parade starts at 10:30 a.m. with three divisions (motorized, non-motorized and kids). The late Dave Round has been named honorary grand marshal.

The Jake Streeter Memorial Classic Car Show starts off at 11 a.m. Jake Burgers will be served at the new fire hall’s grand opening.

A baked goods auction takes place at 11:30 a.m., followed by a jackpot horseshoe tournament at 11:45 a.m. and a duck race at the city park at 1 p.m. Awards for the duck race and car show will be held at 1:30 p.m..

Goat roping will be held at Letosky’s Barn across from the Community Hall from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. There will be free live music, cold drinks and hot food at the Fish House Inn at 3 p.m.

Donations will go toward resurfacing the court at Dayville Park.

“You have very large families that are from Dayville that don’t necessarily live in Dayville, so it brings everyone back together,” said City Recorder Cheyenne Clark, one of the organizers of the festivities. “People sometimes have their families’ reunions for the Fourth of July. It’s an opportunity for the larger families to get together.”

Prairie City’s Fourth of July Celebration, with the theme of “Land That I Love,” will start off with a pancake breakfast at the Prairie Baptist Teen Center, 145 Front St., at 7 a.m., followed by a signup for a 5K run/walk at 7:30 a.m. with the race starting at 8 a.m.

The parade, which will feature vehicles, horses and folks of all ages, starts at 11 a.m. and will run along Front Street from west to east, starting on Northwest Johnson Avenue and ending on North Main Street. The grand marshals are residents Marvin and Lisa Rynearson.

Vendors, yard games and a dunk tank will be found at or near the city park, with face painting from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and kids activities and treats, hosted by the Prairie City High School cheerleaders, from noon to 3 p.m. At the city park after the parade, the Prairie City High School senior class will be selling pulled pork sandwiches and the Garden Club will have strawberry shortcakes and a horseshoe tournament. Virgil Lee will provide live music at 1 p.m.

A pie-baking contest will be held at the Prairie City Community Center at 12:30 p.m., followed by a pie auction at 1 p.m. and a watermelon eating contest at 1:30 p.m. Pictures there will honor veterans and first responders.

A duck race hosted by the Prairie City High School volleyball team will be held at the John Day River bridges at 3 p.m.

“We’ll have something for everyone,” said Greater Prairie City Community Association President KaCee Bloom. “We hope people come out for friendly competition, good food, friends, music and lots of laughs.”

The city of Monument will have an all-day Fourth of July celebration at the city park with a parade and fireworks.

Breakfast will be held from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., with biscuits and gravy at $2 a half-order and $4 for a full order, said organizer Amy Spangler-Hull, president of the Monument Fourth of July Fun festival organization.

A horseshoe tossing contest will be held at 9 a.m., at $5 per entry. Vendor booths with food, jewelry, knives, organic fruit and soaps will open at 9:30 a.m.

The parade will start at 10 a.m., with Jerry Boyer, who owns Boyer’s Cash Store in town, as grand marshal. Grant County Sheriff Todd McKinkey is expected to lead the procession, which will include fire trucks, emergency vehicles, floats and military jeeps, Spangler-Hull said.

Fireworks will take place at the river “with pump trucks on hand,” she said.

“We’re the only fireworks in the county,” she added.

The event will also feature chicken poop bingo, family games throughout the day, a duck race on the John Day River, a community picnic and a dessert auction at 6 p.m., followed by a live auction. The television game show “Wheel of Fortune” donated a live auction package for the event.

“We have two separate autographed photos of Pat Sajak and Vanna White and tickets for four people for a taping in Culver City, California,” Spangler-Hull said of the prizes, which were included among other items after she reached out to the show’s producers.