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Parade Crowds Bring Reflection, and a Business Boost

Natalie Jablonski
/
WXPR News

Many communities marked the holiday Thursday with a Fourth of July parade.  Rhinelander’s celebration drew a crowd of thousands. WXPR spoke with a few parade goers about what Fourth of July means to them.  

Those crowds also meant a robust day for downtown businesses.  

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Rhinelander’s Brown Street was bursting with people during the Fourth of July parade.  Flustered lemonade vendor Max Holperin says it’s the busiest day of the year.  He's already sold hundreds of cups of lemonade.  

“This is my fourth jug here - I have about sixty cups per jug, so that equals a lot.”

On the north end of town where Jet’s Dairy Bar is also hopping.  Employee Brendan Marquardt agrees - no day matches the fourth in terms of sales.

“It’s probably three times as busy as our normal day. And you figure most of that is during the parade itself, and right at the fireworks. And then it’s just steady throughout the day.”

Marquart says the ice cream stand goes through multiple cases of cones.  And within the first half hour of opening, they’d already sold more than five dozen orders of ice cream.  Jets also stays open later than usual on the Fourth.

“Open until slow. Probably we’ll be here until about midnight.”

All in all, a big day for downtown Rhinelander.

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