America’s independence will be celebrated a bit early in the Oakdale area, thanks to the efforts of the OES, Oakdale Enrichment Society.

The local non-profit led by Lisa Ballard, President; Cher Bairos, Vice President; Lupe Aguilera, Treasurer and Ami Poncabare, Communications, will present the Sixth Annual All-American Bash on Saturday, June 29.

This year’s event will feature a cornhole tournament hosted at Dying Breed Brewery, a star-spangled parade and will conclude at the city’s Dorada Park with live music, a Kids Zone and a drone light show.

“We wanted to add something else for people who wanted to do something fun with their families,” OES Vice President Bairos said of partnering with Dying Breed for the cornhole tournament. “Everybody loves cornhole. That’s a big thing now.”

The tournament will be hosted Saturday at the local brewery with check in at 10 a.m. and the event beginning at 10:30 a.m. Cost is $40 per team. Additional information as well as sign-ups for the event can be found on the group website enrichoakdale.org.

“The non-profit will make a little bit of money. People can enjoy their time and have fun,” Bairos said of the only paid event being put on that day.

“We do have sponsors, but of course we would love people to donate more,” she continued, noting that as a not for profit, OES does not host any traditional fundraising events, but rather relies on the generosity of the community to continue its annual events. “Any amount is greatly appreciated. If they want us to continue to do this event, that’s really big to us (donations).”

With the tournament wrapping up around 2 p.m., community members will have a little bit of time to prepare for the parade. Line up for the “Bash parade” will begin at 4 p.m. and the parade itself will begin at 5 p.m. All entries are free and may also be completed through the group web page.

This year’s parade route, however, will be a bit different. It will begin at Walnut and First, traveling south toward Poplar, going east toward North Third, then traveling north back toward Walnut and North First. The parade route is also listed on the group website. The community is encouraged to set up chairs along the route or go online to register as a participant.

The parade is just the beginning of the evening fun, as the community is encouraged to grab blankets, chairs and ice chests and find their way to Dorada Park for live music and more festivities after the parade.

Live music featuring Weekend at Jimmy’s followed by headliner Kristen Brown, from the hit TV show “The Voice,” will begin at 6:15 p.m. The group will welcome the community with some brief introductions and then let the music play.

“Thank you to Love Oakdale,” OES President Ballard said. “There’ll be some Kids Zone games and OES has purchased some prizes so the kids could win prizes. Also thank you to the Lions Club. They’re coming to cook for us. They’ll be selling some sort of combo meal, so we’re happy to support them.”

Both Bairos and Ballard noted while there will be a handful of food trucks providing snacks and food for attendees, this will not be a vendor event offering wares and goods. The City of Oakdale also plans to have the Plunge open that evening from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

“They can do that shopping at the Morning Market earlier that day,” Bairos said.

Both organizers shared, while the parade does not have the same attendance or participation as their Christmas event, the evening portion of the annual “Bash” continues to see a strong showing.

“It gets packed. Having the Kids Zone is just awesome,” Bairos stated. “The main thing is bringing the community together. Having something for our community and it’s free.”

The new attraction of the Drone Light Show presented by Valley Air District, has both board members excited. The show will begin promptly at 9:30 p.m. following the live music. The team shared the show was made possible due to grant funding. The light show will be visible over Dorada Park.

“This is a free event. Not everybody can afford to take their family of five somewhere,” Ballard said of why continuing the annual event is so important to her. “Meaning it’s a concert in the park free. Bring your sandwiches you make at home, bring your drinks, let the kids play in the Kids Zone. It can cost you zero, but that’s your choice; if you want to you can buy from the food vendors.”

“To give families something to do here the weekend before the actual Fourth of July,” Bairos added on her feelings for the event. “So they can spend the Fourth of July with family and friends. This is a community-based event that’s pulling in different aspects of the community, like Love Oakdale to have this and then of course the parade.”

And while the team is excited for all the fun that’s to come, they still need volunteers and could benefit from sponsorships.

“We are still in need of sponsorships,” Ballard said. “Twenty dollars, five dollars, a hundred dollars, some people have given us a thousand dollars. Everything helps us continue this event.”

“Volunteers, volunteers, volunteers,” Bairos added to her counterpart. “If it weren’t for our volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to do this.”

A total of 20 volunteers are needed for the parade route. The duo shared community members may also sign up for that at enrichoakdale.org.

“As long as we can do it for free, we’re going to do it for free and it’s because of those people that are so generous to donate,” Bairos concluded of the volunteers, sponsors and community donors.

“We are coming together with the City of Oakdale, the Lions Club, Love Oakdale, a local church - helping them make money, too. It’s a community event coming together,” Ballard shared.

Donations to Oakdale Enrichment Society may made on-line, be dropped at the Oakdale Chamber or mailed to 1570 E. F St., Suite A20, Oakdale. Donors may also text Bairos at 209-496-1134 and arrange for a donation to be picked up.