EVERETT — Snohomish County’s largest public employer put on a party Friday, complete with a military jet fly-over, a classic car show and cotton candy.

About 2,500 civilians who turned out to Naval Station Everett got a rare chance to climb aboard destroyers, snap photos with sailors and learn about the various jobs performed by their neighbors.

The Independence Day weekend celebration is the first time in two years the Navy has opened its gates to the public. Construction on the base last summer prevented the annual Fourth of July open house.

“It’s great. A lot of people have no clue what’s going on out here,” said Everett resident David Springer, 52, who waited with his wife, Gale, and three young children for more than an hour to tour the Perry-class frigate USS Rodney M. Davis. “They should open bases in Iraq and let people know what’s really going on.”

Springer returned home a few weeks ago after spending three months working as a military contractor at Camp Bucca, a prison camp in southern Iraq.

The unemployed carpenter, who took the job to support his family when local construction projects dried up, said he’s considering heading back to the Middle East soon unless he finds work closer to home.

Saturday’s celebration include a few flyovers from an EA-6 Prowler from Whidbey Island Naval Air Station and an F-18 Hornet from Lemoore Naval Air Station in California. The roaring jets impressed onlookers with an air-fueling technique that demonstrated masterful precision.

The Arlington’s Blackjack Squadron also showed off by flying over the base in tight formation.

Two years ago, the Navy had about 10,000 visitors when it offered tours of the USS Abraham Lincoln. The Lincoln this year is undergoing extensive maintenance work at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton.

Will Doud, a 10-year-old boy from Marysville, walked with his family through the narrow corridors of The USS Shoup, a guided-missile destroyer.

He climbed the ship’s steep stairs and peeked inside the darkened command information center. There, the glowing monitors of several work stations displayed information, such as the ship’s rudder angle, wind speed and the Shoup’s location. From there, Dowd headed up to the ship’s bridge, and then its deck, where he could spot his grandparent’s restaurant, Scuttlebutt Brewing Co., on Everett’s waterfront.

“It’s awesome,” said Dowd who was most impressed by the Shoup’s “big guns.”

A guide leading a group tour said giant shells from ships forward gun are so heavy their casings can damage the deck when they are ejected from the gun.

“This is a real nice for the Navy to go all out for the community,” said Cynthia “Scuttle” Bannan, Dowd’s grandmother.

Naval Station Everett is the second largest employer in Everett, after The Boeing Co.

With 6,000 military and civilian workers at the base, it is the largest public employer in Everett.

Lt. Mike Hawryluk with Naval Station Everett’s Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron Nine, a naval security unit, chatted with people who approached his table which held military MREs (Meals Ready-To-Eat) an M-16, a shotgun and a 9 mm pistol.

“It’s a great opportunity for people to be able to see the ships and learn about what we do,” he said. “We’re part of the community.”

Reporter David Chircop: 425-339-3429, dchircop@heraldnet.com.