First July 4 celebration planned for King playground

June 21, 2002

The first "Greencastle-Antrim July 4th Celebration" will be held at the Jerome R. King Playground band shell from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July 4.

At 11 a.m., the invocation will be given, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of The National Anthem. A contest for the "Most Patriotic Family" will be held at 11:15 a.m. No registration is required. Families are invited to use their imaginations and be as creative as possible to win the prize of a $25 gift certificate to Mikie's Ice Cream and Sandwich Shop.

Live vocal and band music, with a patriotic theme, will be provided. Richard Besecker will sing several solos, including "Amazing Grace," and lead those gathered in the singing of "God Bless America" and "America the Beautiful." Barry and Mandy Stottlemyer will sing several numbers, including "I'm Proud to be an American."

The quartet of Marcie Zimmerman, Saundra Wingert, Dave Besecker, and Phil Risser will perform a couple of selections. The Rev. Stacy and Lisa Crawford will sing the "Statue of Liberty" and "I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb."

Dave Reeder and friends will help close out the musical part of the event. Greg Hoover will serve as the master of ceremonies.

At noon, area churches will ring their church bells. Interspersed throughout the event will be several patriotic readings.

Beginning at 1:30 p.m. there will be a peanut and candy scramble for the children followed by a watermelon party, provided by Greencastle's American Legion and VFW.

Everyone is invited to join the festivities by bringing lawn chairs or a blanket and having a picnic lunch on the grass. On a first-come-first-served basis, the adjacent pavilion will be available for lunch.

Boy Scout Troop 99 will have hamburgers, hot dogs, and soft drinks for sale. The Girl Scouts will sell bottled water and baked goods.

The organizing committee hopes that the residents, merchants, and businesses in the Greencastle-Antrim area will show their pride in our country by decorating their homes and places of business in red, white, and blue and by flying the flag.

"This year's July 4th celebration is the first of what the committee hopes will become an annual tradition in Greencastle-Antrim for many years to come," said Dana Given, director of the Greencastle-Antrim Chamber of Commerce.

"Ideas for the expansion of the celebration for 2003 are already being noted," she said.

The Jerome R. King Playground is a non-alcoholic facility.

For more information, call 597-9325 or check the "Greencastle-Antrim July 4th Celebration" Web page at www.greencastlemuseum.org.

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