The sights and sounds of the Fourth of July in Ouray are ubiquitous.
The powerful spray of fire hoses. The shrieks of kids racing through Fellin Park. Cheers and honking horns on Main Street.
This year’s fanfare will feature some changes — including private security and a bit more parking — aimed at ensuring people stay safe and have fun.
“We want to organize and manage it in a way that is safe and fun for all,” said interim Police Chief Daric Harvey, who is overseeing his first Fourth of July celebration in Ouray.
The most notable difference will be the incorporation of private security officers to assist the short-handed police department. The city will spend about $15,000 to hire Citadel Security Group to assist with parking and traffic control and direct pedestrians.
Harvey said Citadel will provide 18 security guards during the day and 10 in the evening. That will allow Ouray police, along with four Montrose County sheriff’s deputies and two Colorado State Patrol troopers, to disperse along Main Street and throughout town.
“Responses should be quicker, more preventative. In the past we were very reactive,” he said.
Harvey also secured additional parking on private property to help ease the crunch, including a grass field north of the Silvershield trailhead off Oak Street, a gravel lot on the east side of Oak Street and a gravel lot on the east side of U.S. Highway 550 near Rotary Park.
In the event of an emergency, or if a child is separated from their family, law enforcement and emergency personnel will have a station set up in Fellin Park. First aid stations will be located in Fellin Park near the pool as well as at Ouray City Hall, 320 Sixth Ave.
To try to discourage commercial vehicles and other pass-through traffic, Harvey coordinated variable message boards outside of town encouraging motorists to use alternate routes around Ouray on Friday, such as U.S. Highway 50 and Colorado Highway 62.
Something else that will help? Visitors and residents giving each other a bit of grace, according to Harvey. Even on a day meant for celebration, patience can run thin and tempers can flare as people jostle for space. The Fourth of July will go more smoothly, he said, if people start by assuming the best of intent, until they’re proven otherwise.
“Come in with that mindset,” Harvey said. “We’re all here to have fun.”
Independence Day in Ouray: What you need to know
The daytime population of Ouray will swell to several times its normal size on Friday, when thousands of people converge for the Fourth of July. Some things to keep in mind as you enjoy the festivities:
A day of activities: The party begins early and continues until after sunset. A quick rundown: Ourayce 10K fun run at 7:30 a.m. at City Hall, parade at 10 a.m. (stand on the east side of Main Street if you want to stay dry), kids’ games at 11 a.m. at Fellin Park, water fights at 2 p.m. at Main and Sixth Avenue and fireworks at dusk (around 9:15 p.m.).
No personal fireworks: Yes, that includes sparklers and snakes. The city of Ouray banned all personal fireworks on June 18 after a group of people shot a series of high-powered fireworks directly into a neighborhood from U.S. Highway 550 on June 15, igniting multiple spot fires. The town of Ridgway and Ouray County enacted stage 1 fire bans on Tuesday, which also prohibit personal fireworks. In other words: Leave the pyrotechnics to the Ouray Volunteer Fire Department on Friday night.
Road closures: It’s not a good day for through-traffic in Ouray, and anybody entering or exiting the city should be prepared for delays. Several blocks of Main Street will be closed for the parade and water fights, and U.S. 550 will be shut down from the overlook to Third Avenue from roughly 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. for the fireworks. No parking will be allowed on the highway during that time.
