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July 4 holiday has... |
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| The view was great because the parade, led by Jack Houston’s fully decorated boat, came up the creek opposite Americamps, turned around at the Highway 903 bridge then passed within yards of the shoreline in front of Americamps. The boaters and watchers’ shared the spirit of the day by yelling back and forth at one another. The FABS were out in full force and found a spot at the beginning of the parade. The boats that followed expressed their patriotic views in one form or another. One boat had American flags as well as those from North Carolina, Virginia and to almost everyone’s surprise were the state flags from North Dakota and Minnesota. The boats in the parade stretched from one side of the creek up to 903 and back down the opposite side. After leaving the creek they headed along the shoreline and then crossed the lake where the Churchill Five Forks Volunteer Fire Department sprayed the boats to help keep them cool as they passed under it. In Wise they held the annual 4th of July Parade. This event drew about 3,000 people to enjoy the parade and the festival held at Wise Baptist Church (See Wise also draws a crowd with parade on page 1.) During the late afternoon hours on the 4th the Lake Gaston Lions Club held their annual fish fry. This annual event allows people to drive through for take out or sit under a tent and enjoy the food there. The lions deserve credit for being out in the heat, to raise funds for many local causes. It wouldn’t surprise me if some people attend just to see the Lions playing carhops. When a car pulls up you could hear Lion Jim Howell yell out, “four with sweet tea and tarter sauce.” The car pulls to the next stop and a couple of lions are on their way to the car with the order. For the handicapped they had a special parking place up front so they could park and enjoy their dinners under the tent. At dusk on the 4th the crowds filled the streets at Halifax to enjoy the annual fireworks at the Courthouse Square. The fireworks followed the annual “First for Freedom” performance. The nationally acclaimed 440th Army Band was in town on Thursday to entertain their local fans. The band pleased the fans with marches, patriotic ballads and jazz. (See 440th Band plays for Warren County on page 11). Saturday was the busiest day of the four-day holiday celebrations. Starting at almost the same time on Saturday was the Littleton 4th of July Parade, the Ebony Old Fashion Day and the Roanoke Wildwood VFD yard sale. All three events drew large crowds. The Littleton parade continues to prove it is an area favorite. Each year it grows in size and participation. The South Side Winds joined the parade this year and the citizens of Littleton showed their pleasure. The Grand Marshal of this year’s parade was Sonny Walker. Some of the participants in this year’s parade included American Legions 308 and 425 as well as the ladies Auxiliaries; Uncle Sam; several town commissioners in classic cars; the Princess and Senior Princess from the Haliwa-Saponi Indian Tribe; the South Side Winds; the Enterprise Baptist Club; the Littleton United Methodist church as well as several other organizations. This year, as always, one of the highlights of the parade was the kids and families on decorated bikes, golf carts and walking. Some kids from McIver Elementary School were riding on their bikes in an almost perfect straight line. It was so impressive to watch them. The Low Rider Go Cart Club of Roanoke Rapids thrilled the crowd with their special carts and made the kids happy with their noisy engines. Also on hand was the Littleton VFD with their specialty trucks and dive team vehicles. Joining them was an ambulance from the Warren County Rescue. Bringing up the end of the parade were the horses. The Ebony Old Fashion Day was going on at the same the parade as the parade. A couple hundred people were on hand when the bidding on the auction items started. At noon they were still going strong. The event is held under what seems to be the largest shade tree in the area. The auctioneer was calling out the bids in a quick cadence that you had to follow closely if you wanted to know what the final bid was. You could tell it was hot for the kids because instead of throwing the water balloons at one another they were breaking them over their own heads. There were pony rides, face painting and an inflatable bounce house for the kids. The bounce house was donated so they could auction it off at the end of the day. The Ebony VFD was also on hand selling their famous fried chicken and potato salad. Beach Music Festival at Carolina Crossroads drew another large crowd. The annual event featured a fourteen foot sand castle. Event goers shagged while the listened to the bands play. Around five o’clock the annual South Shore Saturday celebration got under way. This annual pre-fireworks party has become a must attend for many who enjoy starting their evening with a live band providing the music, people dancing and plenty of food. The Littleton Lions club sold food and drinks. The Lake Gaston Water Safety council was on hand with their educational mobile classroom. The annual Longbridge VFD Fireworks Show is based on the shores of South Shore Reality. We were invited to Rainbow Realty to view the fireworks. We got there at 7 p.m. thinking it would be difficult to find a parking space. This year that was not the case. In fact some of the early arrivals wondered if there was going to be a large crowd there for the show. The lake waters around the Eaton Ferry Bridge only had a few boats anchored down for the show. We should have relaxed, by 9 p.m. the bridge was packed and cars were lined up for miles to get a view of what is considered one of the best fireworks shows in the area. By the time the fireworks started there were several hundred boats on the water. The crowd was estimated at 8,000 to 10,000 people. Just prior to starting the fireworks they closed the bridge and it filled up with families and friends who wanted to enjoy the show. They were not disappointed. All eyes were on the sky as thousands of dollars of fireworks filled the night sky. When it was all over it took over an hour to clear the area. Some fans had planned for this and just continued to enjoy themselves along side the road until traffic thinned out. More than one person was heard saying they can’t wait until next year’s 4th of July celebration. |
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| Jul 11, 2007 | ||||||||
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