Forever Dance Alaska performs for the crowd during the 2019 July 4th parade in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

Forever Dance Alaska performs for the crowd during the 2019 July 4th parade in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Brian Mazurek/Peninsula Clarion)

The show must go on

American icons to take stage in outdoor July 4 performance

While there may not be an official Independence Day Parade in Kenai this year, residents hoping to celebrate America’s historical figures can head over to the parking lot of the Kenai Performers’ studio on Saturday to enjoy some patriotic outdoor theater.

From 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., members of the Kenai Performers will be holding their free outdoor show, “Historical American Celebrities.” The show will feature cultural and political icons like Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Rosie the Riveter, Susan B. Anthony, Babe Ruth and more.

Terri Burdick, who serves as president of the board of directors for Kenai Performers, said on Tuesday that she wanted to incorporate notable names into the show from all different eras and aspects of American life.

“I tried to pick figures that were historical, but not just presidents,” Burdick said.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

The show will last about 30 minutes and will repeat four times on Saturday, with each figure performing either a short song or speech talking about America’s history. Abraham Lincoln, for example, will be reciting his famous Gettysburg Address. At the end of the show the entire cast will sing a medley of patriotic songs.

Halfway through the show, at 12:15, members of the local dance studio Forever Dance Alaska will put on a performance of their own.

Darcy Swanson, owner of Forever Dance Alaska, said she was thankful to have her dance company invited to perform with the theater troupe, because the parade is an event that her dancers look forward to every year.

Both the Kenai Performers and Forever Dance Alaska were planning to perform the shows as part of the July 4 parade in Kenai, but the Kenai Chamber of Commerce decided to cancel the parade due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Forever Dance has a routine in the parade every year — even winning the “Best Overall” award for their float in 2019. This year would have been the first rolling show for the Kenai Performers.

Despite the parade’s cancellation, Burdick and the Kenai Performers decided that the show must go on.

Mitigation measures will be in place for Saturday’s outdoor show, Burdick said. The show is free to the public, but people are asked to bring their own camping chairs for seating. The parking lot will be marked off to help maintain social distance between audience members. Visitors are also encouraged to wear masks. Parking will be in available in the front of the building so that there is enough space in the back for seating.

The Kenai Performer’s studio is located behind the Subway on Kalifornsky Beach Road at 44045 K-Beach Road.

The event will also be streamed live on the Kenai Performers Facebook page.

More in News

Robert Weaver was last seen at the Doroshin Bay public use cabin on June 25, 2025. (Photo provided by the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge)
Kenai wildlife refuge seeking information on missing man

Robert Weaver was last seen near Skilak Lake on June 25.

The Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team conducts a training mission in Seward, Alaska in 2024. Photo courtesy of the Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team
Anchor Point fundraiser to benefit Alaska rescue and recovery group

Alaska Dive Search Rescue and Recovery Team is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization established in 2016.

Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic staff (left to right) Angie Holland, RN; Jane Rohr, Sonja Martin Young, CNM; Robin Holmes, MD; and Cherie Bole, CMA provide an array of reproductive and sexual health services. (Photo provided by KBFPC)
Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic releases report on STI trends on the Kenai Peninsula

The report pulls from data gathered from 2024 to early 2025.

Pool manager and swim coach Will Hubler leads a treading water exercise at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Swimmers, parents call on Kenai to support Kenai Central pool

The KPBSD Board of Education last week said communities will need to step up and take over administration of pools within the next year.

Traffic passes by South Spruce Street in Kenai, Alaska, on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai drops effort to rename South Spruce Street

The resolution would have changed the name to make it clear which road led to North Kenai Beach

Gov. Mike Dunleavy compares Alaska to Mississippi data on poverty, per-pupil education spending, and the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress fourth grade reading scores during a press conference on Jan. 31, 2025. Alaska is highlighted in yellow, while Mississippi is in red. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Dunleavy calls special session for August

Lawmakers on Wednesday said they were surprised by the move.

A makeshift coffin decrying the risks of Medicaid funding cuts is seen on Thursday, June 26, in front of the Blazy Mall in Soldotna. The cuts were included in legislation passed by the U.S. Senate early Tuesday morning. (Photo by Jonas Oyoumick/Peninsula Clarion)
Ahead of Senate vote, Soldotna protesters defend Medicaid funding

Cuts to the program were included in legislation passed by the U.S. Senate early Tuesday morning.

Board President Zen Kelly speaks during a meeting of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s Board of Education in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Peninsula Borough school board to finalize budget

The new budget designed by the committee will be considered at a public hearing during the full board meeting on Monday evening.

Most Read