Willow Springs turns out in red, white and blue for 4th of July

WILLOW SPRINGS — The Willow Springs Chamber of Commerce and community volunteers hosted Independence Day activities and its annual Fourth of July Parade Tuesday morning in downtown Willow Springs. Events held included the Bear City S.W.A.T. Challenge, a series of athletic competitions with a law enforcement theme; an "I Ran From the Cops" 5K race; a Willow Springs Fire Department pancake breakfast fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association; and the main event, a parade featuring plenty of red, white and blue decorations and representations of American historical figures. The day's festivities concluded with a cookout and fireworks hosted by the First Baptist Church. Here, staff and residents of Willow Care Nursing Home are dressed for the event in red, white and blue, as they wait for the parade to start.