Mount Vernon reports two fireworks calls over Fourth; lists summer parks events

Mount Vernon City staff reported that the Mount Vernon Fire Department responded to two fireworks-related calls within city limits over the Fourth of July holiday and that there were no residential fires and no major injuries.

City staff said the Mount Vernon Police Department (MVPD) joined nearly 2,000 law-enforcement officials statewide in the Special Olympics torch run and that MVPD raised more money for the Special Olympics than any other municipal department in the state.

Officials also announced a series of free family events in city parks this summer. The 9th annual youth arts festival is set for Saturday, July 26, at Hillcrest Park and will include children’s entertainment and hands-on arts-and-crafts booths. The Riverwalk Summer Concert Series runs on Thursdays at 6 p.m. and features local and regional artists with food and restaurant options available downtown after the shows. National Night Out will be Tuesday, Aug. 5, at Edgewater Park with booths, vehicles, demonstrations and activities. Registration is open for the second annual ValleyFest 3-on-3 basketball tournament in August at the Skagit Riverwalk, which organizers said will use 16 courts and host more than 150 teams across age brackets.

The announcements combined public-safety information about the holiday weekend with community-engagement and recreation programming for families and youth. City staff did not provide a dollar amount for MVPD’s fundraising or an exact end date for the Riverwalk series beyond “through August.”