In Hill City, there is a Fourth of July parade with a little twist, the floats actually float.

The Hill City Flotilla Boat Parade is fairly new to the area, but it has come to be a Hill Lake staple. The parade was conceived during COVID lockdown by a Hill Lake resident, who brought the idea to her neighbors – now Melissa Jackson has taken over as the head boat in the parade, and the contact for the event.

“Well, all during COVID years there wasn’t a lot of festivities happening in town. So, we started doing this just to, you know, see all the neighbors and kind of have a substitute for the parade,” said Miranda Widing, Jackson’s neighbor and another parade participant.

Jackson and her family began this year’s parade in their festively decorated ‘Christmas in July’ themed pontoon – leading the charge along the shoreline.

“I grew up here on the lake my whole life and it just kind of adds to the fun of the festivities and gets kind of all the lake people together,” said Jackson.

The event is open to everyone and is fun for the entire family. Many participants made the event a family affair, with kids spraying water toys around their boats, and some floats even throwing out treats.

“Those who either don’t boat or have a big family up, they all enjoy to just sit down on their docks and enjoy to watch everyone go by,” said Jackson.

And even though this summer has seen a large amount of rainfall – causing water levels to rise, it didn’t deter boaters from joining in on the fun. And it was all sunshine for today’s parade.

“Rain or shine. We’ll still go,” said Jackson.

The flotilla parade is one of many events in Hill City throughout the Fourth of July week. So, visitors can take a break from their other events to sit by, or in the water and enjoy the show.

“It’s just a lot of fun to be on the lake during the 4th of July weekend and see everyone who is like hanging out by the lake and having fun and, you know, see all the fun themes and everything,” said Widing.

For more information on the 120th Annual Hill City 4th of July Celebration, go to Hill City 120th Annual 4th of July Celebration | Facebook