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Fling out the flags!
It’s the Fourth
Have we really been
celebrating the Fourth of July in a big way in Wake Forest for 36 years?
Yes indeed, it was
in 1973 that Geri Stenzel and Janie Ali enlisted the help of local
organizations, walked from store to store downtown to solicit donations and
organized the very first Fourth of July Celebration here.
Since then some
very dedicated volunteers have spent hours of time and gallons of sweat
ensuring that the stadium show, the fireworks, the Children’s Parade, Art in
the Park and Games in the Park would continue to delight townspeople and
visitors.
This year is no
exception, and you need to know who is working right now to help you enjoy the
events of July 3 and 4 this year.
The list begins
with the 20-year committee member, Chairman Rhonda Alderman, who won the second
Peggy Allen Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006 for her dedication. That same
year the Wake Forest Community Council voted the Fourth of July Committee the
Organization of the Year. The committee members are Bonnie Johnson, Chris Burke,
Carolyn Furr, Greg Harrington, Bob Allen, Bill Brown, Stella Daniska, Bob
Reckenbeil, Dennis Dart, Hank Pierwola, Deb Hickman, Beka Sherrell, Scott
Sherrell, Al Hinton, Dot Hinton, Mona Nims, Louis Mullinger, Chuck Walkley,
Traie Walkley, Brian Pate and Mark Stebbins.
Once you know all
they do, you may well wonder, but they have had a lot of practice at this.
Everything begins
Thursday night, July 3, with the Stadium and Fireworks Show in Trentini Stadium
at Wake Forest-Rolesville High School. The gates will open at 5:30 p.m. and
admission is $5 with children under 6 admitted free. Presale tickets of five
for $20 are on sale at The
Wake Weekly, Wake Forest Chamber of Commerce, Wake Forest Health Club, NC
Specialty Shops, All About Hair & Nails and Premieres Video.
The first entertainers on the stage
will be the Bull City Garage Band followed by the Friendship Chapel Choir.
At 6:30 p.m., the Band of Oz, one of
the most popular bands in the Southeast, will take the stage, and Don
Carrington’s Parachute Team will float into the infield.
At dark, the crowd will hush for the
most spectacular part of the evening, a full fireworks display by S & W
Productions, a Wake Forest Pyrotechnic company.
Until then, people can visit the
concession stands and choose between hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage and peppers,
Chick-Fil-A Sandwiches, popcorn, snow cones, nachos, funnel cakes and drinks of
all kinds.
For this event, you
can park at the school and on the seminary campus. Parking for handicapped
individuals is available in the student parking lot on the high school campus.
As soon as Thursday
night’s event concludes, the volunteers will be scrambling to make sure all
goes smoothly for the Children’s Parade on Friday, July 4.
That event along
North Main Street begins with line-up at 10 a.m. at the intersection of North
Main and Juniper Avenue at the Wake Forest College Birthplace.
There is no entry
fee or application; just arrive. Last year about 1,500 children participated.
Bicyclists are encouraged to wear their helmets.
The parade route is
from the line-up area south to the seminary campus on the west side of the
median, then back north on North Main on the east side of the median. There
will be spectators on both sides of the street and in the median.
Parking is not
allowed on this section of North Main before or during the parade, but is
available along adjacent streets.
After the parade,
all children are encouraged to go to Holding Park for Art in the Park and Games
in the Park. The Wake Forest Police Department will have a K-9 demonstration.
The Wake Forest Fire Department will have a truck on display.
“I encourage
everyone to come out and take part in our festivities,” Alderman said. And, by
the way, “we are a volunteer organization and need more volunteers.” You can
reach her at fireworklady@aol.com or
at 812-9121.
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