SOUTH RANGE — The village of South Range has another great Fourth of July celebration planned for this year which, as always, promises to be a traditional event. Activities include a flag raising and Flag Pole Dedication to Veterans, horseshoe and cornhole tournaments, live music, an Old Photo Gallery, children’s races and more. In fact, with some 17 events and activities scheduled, there are too many to list in this limited space.

The celebration kicks off at 8 a.m. Thursday with a flag raising ceremony and a Flagpole Dedication to Veterans at the fire hall. Also starting at 8 a.m. is the annual flea market at the South Range Baseball field parking lot. The annual Fourth of July Parade begins at 2 p.m.

“We give out four parade prizes to winning floats, including a prize for the most patriotic float,” Mike Renier, president of the South Range 4th of July committee, said. “We’ve got a couple of bands in the parade, and couple of bands afterward, too.”

One of them is local musician and Adams Township native, Tom Katalin, who will perform from 7-10 p.m. at ball field pavilion.

Fireworks, as always, will start at dusk, which promises to be spectacular this year.

“We spent $12,000 on fireworks this year,” said Renier, “and the show will be longer than last year’s”

Renier would like to remind everyone that personal fireworks are not permitted within the limits of the village of South Range, due to Village Ordinance.

“We want the celebration to be safe — always,” he said.

The South Range Fourth of July Committee, which consists of seven volunteer members, is active year-round with fundraising events. Last fall, the committee organized and hosted its first Deer Hunters’ Ball, which took place at the South Range VFW, located on Baltic Avenue. The committee also puts on other events, such as Valentine’s Day dances, their annual Oktoberfest, along with a raffle drawing, conducted during the actual celebration, and many others.

Like nearly every other volunteer organization in the region, the Fourth of July Committee also seeks volunteers. Its Facebook media page contains an introduction that reads:

“If you are willing to help out with keeping the 4th of July going in South Range, let us know! Any & all.”

Committee volunteers are upholding a Copper Country tradition that began with South Range’s first Fourth of July celebration in 1906, just four years after the village was platted by the Wheal Kate Mining Company, in 1902. But the company is older than that. The Wheal Kate Mining Company was first organized in 1851, opened by Walter W. Palmer. Abandoned in 1853, the company was organized in 1902, under the name Wheal Kate Copper Mining Company, but it did not mine copper; it founded South Range, which has been celebrating the Fourth of July since the town was four years old.