The City of Pullman has banded together to celebrate Independence Day for the last 43 years.

Several groups around Pullman work together each year to give the town a spectacular Fourth of July experience that is fun for the whole family and for the college students still in town.

The Pullman Chamber of Commerce has worked with the Fourth of July Celebration Committee “so this celebration can go off without a hitch,” said Glenn Johnson, Fourth of July celebration chairman and Pullman Mayor.

Pullman Chamber of Commerce Events Coordinator Britnee Packwood loves working on the event because it’s family-friendly and allows everyone to spend time together and celebrate independence.

“It’s been around for over 40 years and thousands attend each year,” Packwood said. “I think that’s partially because it’s always family oriented.”

Johnson has been involved with the celebration for over three decades and was originally the voice of the celebration. For the past 20 years he has been the chairman of the celebration committee.

“It’s a great event for the whole region. People come from Moscow and even further to celebrate American independence,” Johnson said. “There’s inflatables for the kids, live music for the whole family and any kind of food you could want at a barbeque.”

Because the celebration is put on by so many different groups around Pullman, it helps to foster relationships that make the community a better place, Packwood said.

“This event is put on by the community, for the community and always with the community in mind,” she said.

Both Packwood and Johnson said they believe this event is a great opportunity for the WSU students who are still in town.

“The college students are investing four years or more of their lives into this town and this community,” Packwood said, “so attending these kinds of events lets them understand it more.”

Johnson said he has heard students for decades discuss how much they prefer the Pullman celebration to similar ones on the west side of the state. He said the reason for this is in bigger cities, the fireworks are farther away and the family aspect isn’t as pronounced.

“We have many international students attend this celebration and for some of them it’s their first American Independence Day celebration,” Johnson said. “It gives them an opportunity to enjoy the community and the holiday while dancing along to great music.”

The Pullman Fourth of July Celebration will begin at 5 p.m. Wednesday in Sunnyside Park. Admission is free and open to the public and park and ride transportation is offered all over Pullman. For more information, go to the Pullman Chamber of Commerce website.