Though the thousand-year-old art of tie-dyed fabric gained fame with bright T-shirts in the 1960s, there’s still plenty of time to outfit Wrangell in colorful reminders of past fashion.

A new event for this year’s Fourth of July celebration will be held at the Irene Ingle Public Library on July 2: Bring Your Own T-Shirt Tie-Dyeing.

The library will provide the dyes and some expert help; people just need to pick their favorite T-shirt that is crying out for a new color pattern or bring in a new T that is ready for an entirely different look.

The free event will be held from 1 to 3 p.m.

The idea for the tie-dyeing event came up in a brainstorming session among staff, said Library Director Sarah Scambler. 

“You’re turning something boring into something fun,” she said of the transformation of cotton T’s. 

The library will be ready with three bottles each of 12 “vibrant color dyes,” Scambler said. The tie-dye tubs and tables will be available until supplies of the dyes last, she said.

Though staff members have all dyed fabrics before, this is a first for a library event.

“For the best results, remember to prewash and dry the fabric, and don’t use fabric softener or a dryer sheet,” Scambler advised. 

In other preparations for the holiday, downtown booth spaces are available for rent on the Fourth of July. 

The booths are $100 with electricity and $75 for people who don’t need power for the day. 

The chamber of commerce is managing the booth spaces, with room for 20 in the Wells Fargo parking lot, said Lora Lee Mason, the chamber’s executive director. The 20 will go out on a first-booked, first-reserved basis, she said.

The booths are available for food sellers, vendors and games, for businesses or nonprofits. The chamber is only renting the space; people need to put up and take down their own booths.

The rental fee must be paid in advance by coming to the chamber office in the Nolan Center weekdays or calling the chamber at 907-305-0685 and providing a credit card number.

The chamber also is looking for a chairperson and volunteer judges for the Fourth of July parade. “I will take all the help I can get,” Mason said.

Anyone willing to help with the parade can call the chamber at 907-305-0685, email info@wrangellchamber.com or talk with Mason at the chamber office in the Nolan Center.

All of the events over the three-day party, July 2-4, have sponsors, except for the Crazy Craft Races, said Joan Sargent, who stepped up as part of St. Frances Animal Rescue to organize the celebration schedule separate from the chamber’s role with the fireworks, ticket sales and parade.

The water races will be held July 3 if someone or a group of friends or an organization takes on the job of organizing the event for most anything that will safely float. 

Volunteers can call Sargent at 907-874-4593 or email her at jjsargent143@gmail.com.

“I’m really impressed how smoothly it is right now,” she said Friday of assembling community volunteers to run the full slate of games and shows.

Royalty raffle ticket sales will continue through July 2, raising money for next year’s Fourth celebration and the chamber’s operating expenses throughout the year.

The July 4 fireworks alone cost about $18,000 to $22,000 a year, said Sylvia Ettefagh, board president of the nonprofit organization.

The raffle ticket sales also help pay for the chamber-sponsored annual summer fishing derby, which is “now costing us more and making us less,” she said of lower derby ticket sales.

“The money that we raise for the Fourth of July” pays for much more than just fireworks and parade prizes, Ettefagh emphasized. “It also pays for the activities of the chamber and the executive director’s salary.”

The chamber board wants to focus more on broader economic development and promoting Wrangell businesses, she said.

“We like tourism, but we don’t want to be inundated,” Ettefagh said. “We can’t put all our eggs in the tourism basket.”