Glittering in the morning sun on July 1 – the first day of the long Independence Day weekend – were bikes (one scooter) decorated in red, white and blue tinsel; complete with American flags, balloons and pinwheels, as the kids and their parents gathered for the Falcon Freedom Days bike parade at the Woodmen Hills Recreation Center East in Falcon, Colorado.As they waited for the Falcon Fire Protection District to lead the 3/4-mile bike parade, the kids and their parents cheered on the 5k walkers and runners toward the finish line. The parade, one of three events kicking off the day-long celebration, began at 8 a.m.With several new attractions, this yearís 12th annual Falcon Freedom Days was like ìFalcon Freedom Days on steroids,î said Angela Maxey, event coordinator. ìWeíve added a bunch of new stuff, including a mechanical bull, a blood drive, a Velcro wall, our 5k walk/run event and our bike parade,î Maxey said. ìWe have popular bands playing music and approximately 30 booths manned by local businesses and people.îShe said proceeds from this yearís event benefit the Rocky Mountain Childhood Cancer Foundation, a local nonprofit organization that assists families dealing with childhood cancer.The organization is one that Antler Creek Golf Course, a Falcon Freedom Days event main sponsor, is familiar with, Maxey said. Golf course general manager Wayne Reorda and his family received assistance from the RMCCF when his child was diagnosed with cancer.ìItís a wonderful organization, and we partner with them every year for their big golf tournament, but this is the first year that we are donating proceeds from the Falcon Freedom Days event to them,î Maxey said.ìWe really want to show people that Falcon is not that far away, and that weíre a really close-knit, small town community. Itís a nice place to live! We are growing, and we want to share some fun with our neighbors and residents from all over the area, even if they donít live in Falcon or they arenít Meridian Ranch residents.îThe event also boasted a huge fireworks show. At 30 minutes long, Maxey said it is the largest fireworks show south of Denver.
