As I sit here at my desk eating a lunch consisting of two cans of Vienna Sausages, a plum and a peach... I keep thinking of the upcoming Fourth of July. People are filling out the entry forms for the parade. Businesses, groups and individuals are stopping by the office to reserve a booth space in Gough Park. The celebration is really starting to grow.
So why am I thinking about the celebration while eating lunch? Because there's going to be some great food vendors in Gough Park on July 4th. The Kiwanis will have their annual breakfast that morning, followed by a BBQ lunch. There is a family that will be returning with their roasted corn. Brewer Hill Missionary Baptist Church is cooking some great meals (I hope they have their fried chicken). A new vendor for us will sell scooped ice cream in their home-made waffle cones. Even the Silver High School Honor Students will have a fund-raiser selling fruit cups. Mmmm... this is going to be a fattening July 4th.
Beginning at 9 a.m., we will have music playing in the Park. There will be a mixture of live and recorded music. If you enjoyed the band from last year, they will be back. This band was really good and we are glad we could book them again this year. So bring chairs and blankets, you will enjoy the music in Gough Park.
We will be looping the park with various vendors. Some will give out information about their organizations and businesses. Some will sell raffle tickets for guns. One is selling raffle tickets for a gun safe. There will be booths with toys, home decorations and yard art. One booth will be explaining the benefits of solar energy. The Democrats will be there. The Republicans will be there. The TEA Party Patriots will have a booth. And the ACLU will be there to watch the other guys. LGBT and PFLAG will have their booths. There will be stuff for everyone at Gough Park. We still have spaces available, so call us for a form to reserve space for your group or business.
Ah... then in the evening the fireworks take flight in the night sky. The local volunteers that provide the fireworks show do an outstanding job. Now when I say they provide the show, I mean they set it up and shoot the rockets. We still need the communities help to buy the fireworks. We are in the process of raising $3000 for the fireworks. This pays for rockets, insurance, and shipping costs. We currently have $500. So we need your help immediately... or it may be a pretty short fireworks show. An account has been set up at First American Bank or you can make a check payable to the Chamber of Commerce. Any amount will be helpful. If your business needs an invoice to make a donation, the Chamber of Commerce can do this for you. Besides the $2500 needed for fireworks, we are searching for a sponsor or sponsors for the music in the park. We need $750 to cover these expenses. Call me at the Chamber office, 538-3785, to learn what we can do for sponsors.
Lastly, I know some of you don't like the parade route. Well, build a bridge and get over it (yes that was a pun). It's only for one year. Next year we should be back on the same route used for many years going through the downtown area of Silver City. This year we will line up at the south end of Hudson Street... from Broadway back to the bridge construction. The parade will run north on Hudson to 14th Street. The 14th street intersection is where the parade will end. The parade will run down the center turn lane, so people can sit and stand along the street or even in the outside lanes to watch the parade.
Our theme this year is "Rally Round The Flag". So we hope you will plan to rally with us in downtown Silver City on Saturday, July 4th to celebrate this great country's Independence Day.