We tip our hats to those who had anything to do with the wonderful July 4 weekend celebration in Albert Lea.

People had an opportunity listen to the wonderful musical celebration of the life of Minnesota jazz legend Doc Evans on Saturday on a perfectly beautiful afternoon.

On Sunday, the Shriners cooked pancakes for hundreds of people for breakfast, then thousands lined the streets of Albert Lea for the grand parade. It was truly grand, with 136 units representing all facets of our county. Kids of all ages, from 2 to 92, just love parades. We thank the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce and the Albert Lea Jaycees for organizing it again.

On Monday, people were treated to an awesome waterski show courtesy of the Bayside Skiers. Not only is the skiing fun, with chances to see human pyramids, doubles, trios, barefooters, wakeboarders, swivelers and more, the show itself is exciting to watch. The great thing about the ski club is that if you missed the show on the Fourth, you can still see it any Thursday during the summer at 7 p.m.

And of course, it was all capped off with a spectacular fireworks show over Fountain Lake. While the chamber of commerce and KATE Radio organize the fund drive to pay for the fireworks, it is all the people who contribute whatever they can to make it truly a show for the people.

The efforts of everyone make the community an awesome place to be on the holiday weekend. Our celebration is second to none.

We’re already looking forward to next year.