A few classic events may be missing from Unalaska’s 4th of July celebration tomorrow. The firefighters won’t put on their usual barbeque and dunk tank, and PacSteve won’t host its halibut run.

Brian Rankin, the firefighter who usually plans the barbeque, left the island for a vacation last month. New fire chief Abner Hoage would have been the next logical choice to put together the event, but he says he found out about the festivities too late.

“By the time I found out that we weren’t planning anything after my arrival on the 20th of June, I didn’t have enough time that we could plan anything this year, unfortunately.”

Hoage says the firefighters will bring back their events next year.

To fill the gap tomorrow, Parks, Culture and Recreation will open its annual bake sale to other nonprofits. A few groups will join the PCR as they sell snacks outside Burma Road Chapel.

Special events coordinator Albert Burnham says the PCR’s parade will go ahead as always – and it could be bigger than last year’s. Instead of the usual ten floats, about a dozen were registered as of this afternoon, and more could join the parade before showtime tomorrow.

“I hear the clinic has been through a lot to put together a really cool float about healthy lifestyles and healthy living, and I know that the Department of Public Works also has been working really hard at putting a float together," Burnham says. "I believe that both of those places – this is the first year they’re going to be in the parade.”

Burnham says stand-bys like the Lions Club duck race and the city’s fireworks show will go on as planned.