St. Helens Riverfront Independence Day Celebration

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 19, 2023

St. Helens, Ore. – Join the St. Helens community for a day of activities, music, and fireworks on the St. Helens Riverfront to celebrate Independence Day 2023. This year’s celebration honors “A Century of Heroes” and begins at 11 a.m. on July 4 in the Courthouse Plaza Square with a Highway 30 Cruisers car show, a patriotic pet stage photo op area, games, and lemonade. The day will conclude with a fireworks show lit from a barge in the Columbia River at 10 p.m.

The full schedule for the day includes:

• 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. - Meet goats in the Plaza
• 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. - Meet and greet Battlin’ Betties Oregon Platoon, a national co-operative auxiliary of pinups supporting our Nation’s Veterans & First Responders while raising awareness of PTSD and suicide prevention
• 1:30 p.m. - National Anthem & Flag Raising Ceremony in front of the Columbia County Courthouse steps
• 1:30 p.m. – Independence Day speakers on the Courthouse steps
• 2 p.m. - "Let Freedom Bells Ring” ceremony at the Courthouse steps. The Courthouse bell will ring 13 times in recognition of a federally-mandated Independence Day ceremony passed in 1963 by the U.S. Congress. Bells across the country ring 13 times at 2 p.m. in honor of the 13 original states.
• 2 p.m. – Reenactment signing of the Declaration of Independence with George Washington at the Columbia County Courthouse steps followed by cake and cookies in the Plaza Square
• 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. - Larry Jackson Big River Big Band in the Plaza. Swing dance in the Plaza!
• 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. - Hit Machine in Columbia View Park
• 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. - Gary Bennett & The Coat-Tail Riders in Columbia View Park
• 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. - Macey Gard Band in Columbia View Park
• 10 p.m. - Fireworks show launching from a barge in the Columbia River

Events are subject to change. Check the Discover Columbia County website (https://discovercolumbiacounty.com/events/4th-of-july-2023-st-helens-fireworks-show-and-more/) for the most accurate schedule leading up to July 4.

The St. Helens Independence Day Celebration: A Century of Heroes is made possible thanks to the following sponsors: Keller Williams: The Jane Garcia Team, Laurelwood Brewing Co., Big Food Cart & Brew, Cascadia Home Loans, the Port of Columbia County, St. Helens Sand Island Campground, Wauna Credit Union, 503 Distilling & Cocktails, and the City of St. Helens.

TAILGATING AND PARKING

Due to waterfront construction, Riverfront Property tailgating is not being offered this year. There is free parking in the following areas on a first-come, first-served basis:

• The lower Columbia County Courthouse lot (riverside) during July 4
• The City’s free parking lot behind South 1^st Street (accessed from South 1^st Street next to 2Cs Vendor Mall or from the South 2^nd Street and St. Helens Street intersection)
• The temporary parking lot at the intersection of Cowlitz and Strand Street on the City’s vacant Riverfront Property

No overnight parking is permitted in these parking lots.

Parking fills up fast in the Riverfront District for this event. If you are looking for a parking spot, plan to arrive early in the day.

We encourage you to consider leaving your car at home and to walk, bike, or carpool to the Riverfront District.

Existing ADA parking spots will also fill up fast. People will be allowed to drop off people or persons with disabilities or visual impairments at the South 1^st and St. Helens Street intersection before finding available parking in the surrounding area.

Parking is open for use at the St. Helens Recreation Center at 1810 Old Portland Road to park and walk to the event.

STREET CLOSURES

To address event, traffic, and pedestrian safety, the City’s Public Works and Engineering teams, St. Helens Police Department, the event planner, City staff, and St. Helens Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.) met to discuss traffic flow and street closures.

Beginning at 1 p.m., the following streets will be closed to incoming vehicle traffic entering the Riverfront District area until the event is over (anticipated reopening of 11:30 p.m.):

• Columbia Boulevard at 2^nd Street
• St. Helens Street at 2^nd Street (existing Waterfront Construction closure)
• South 4^th Street at Park Way
• South 1^st Street at St. Helens Street intersection
• A barricade will be placed at the South 1^st Street entrance to the City’s free parking lot to prevent vehicle traffic from entering or exiting the parking lot. The lot will still be accessible from the South 2^nd Street entrance

Barricades will be placed at these locations and staffed with traffic control personnel from the St. Helens Police Department and St. Helens C.E.R.T.

Outgoing vehicle traffic will be allowed to exit the area during these closures.

Pedestrians can enter and exit the closure areas at all times.

Only residents who live inside the closure area will be allowed vehicle entry after the closure.

ADA drop off will be allowed at the South 1^st and St. Helens Street intersection.

A traffic control map can be found at the bottom of this page under the Supporting Documents section. 

AFTER FIREWORKS

The fireworks show will begin at approximately 10 p.m. and is anticipated to last 15-20 minutes. After the show, St. Helens officers will be at the following intersections to direct event traffic leaving the area:

• Old Portland Road and South 18^th Street intersection
• South 4^th and St. Helens Street intersection
• South 1^st and St. Helens Street intersection