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Walton celebrates the Fourth
Published July 8, 2007
WALTON COUNTY — It was not long ago for many residents that July 4th meant having to leave the county, piling into the car for a road trip, or just sitting at home, resigned to watching fireworks on the television.
Those days have fallen by the wayside as more than 16,000 residents took part in some of the many activities that took place throughout the county on Independence Day.
Several hundred residents gathered at the McDaniel-Tichenor House last weekend to get an early start on the Independence Day celebrations. But the official start to the July 4th festivities began in Loganville Wednesday morning with the second annual parade through downtown.
Mary Pratt, of Dawsonville, who attended the parade because her grandchildren are from the area, said the event brought back the traditional America of old.
“I enjoyed it all,” Pratt said. “The spirit, the people and the parade itself. It was more like old traditional America. It brought home the freedoms we enjoy, those who sacrifice for them and what this country is really all about.”
FOURTH from Page A1
Some have put estimates as high as 8,000 attendees lining the streets and taking their positions in floats during the festive occasion. Though setting the bar high during the inaugural event, this year’s parade featured more than 60 entries and drew participants from inside and outside the county, as well as from other parts of the state.
Although the crowds thinned after the parade, many stayed around to enjoy the booths of vendors and local organizations offering eats and treats. The afternoon also included a concert full of music from various bands put on by Golden Productions under the trees in the grounds of Loganville First United Methodist Church.
While many Loganville residents either went home or onto the American Legion Post 233 celebration, Social Circle began their Fourth of July celebrations with the annual car show. There was also a cookout to raise funds for the Robbie Baldoni Memorial Skate Park, classic rock performed by The Archmen Band filling the air and the Social Circle High School cheerleaders on hand selling refreshments as a fund-raiser.
Other displays of patriotism took place throughout the county, all leading up to the eventual fireworks extravaganzas.
In Monroe, that meant the fifth annual FreedomFest. Though initial planning began shortly after the 2006 edition of the festival, organization truly began in earnest in January. Featuring kids’ activities and bringing together many of the area’s local churches, this year’s FreedomFest featured live music, fireworks and just about every type of fried food anyone could ask for — with the addition of the fried Twinkie this year.
“I think we needed a booth for Lipitor,” organizer Jeff Prine joked. “We had a great turnout and I am sure that the weather had a lot to do with it. We hope we can continue to bring this to Monroe and Walton County as a gift from the area churches to show that while the churches may be different, we all have a common vein. We also want to continue to celebrate the freedom given to us by our God and by the men and women who serve on our behalf.”
FreedomFest ended with its traditional fireworks display, sponsored by the Monroe Fire Department, but it was not the only show in the sky this year.
Billed as “Freedom and Fireworks,” The Oasis Church played host to a Fourth of July event full of music, food and a professional fireworks display that could be seen city-wide. The church, which also does an alternative to Halloween called “Octoberfest,” felt the addition of the July 4th event would provide families one more venue to come together to have fun.
“We feel like the July 4th ‘Freedom and Fireworks’ was hugely successful,” said Troy Shaw, lead pastor at Oasis. “It exceeded our expectations. E-mails and phone calls have been pouring into the church from residents and city officials lauding the success of the event. We want to be a church that reaches out to the community. We plan to host this event annually and hope to see as many people if not more at Octoberfest this fall.”
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