The crowds were smaller, the parades shorter, and no water fights or fireworks marked Independence Day in Ouray, but locals were determined to find ways to celebrate during an unusual time.

After official events were canceled due to the cornnavirus pandemic, J. Gary Dunn and Richard Weber III each organized their own parades, while Ouray native Josh Rasmussen ensured that the annual F-16 flyover wasn’t missed, all in an effort to maintain some semblance of a “normal” Fourth of July.

“I jus...