Published Wednesday, June 25, 2008 in Local
Community gearing up for Fourth of July holiday
By News Staff
The Times-Herald
America will soon be celebrating its 232nd birthday, and Coweta County residents will have lots of options as they look for ways to celebrate July 4.
With July 4 falling on a Friday this year, Independence Day events are taking place in the area starting Thursday and running through the weekend. In Coweta, there are July 4 activities scheduled in Newnan, Moreland, Grantville and Haralson.
Events are also planned in the adjoining counties of Fayette and Meriwether.
* In Newnan, "Proud to be an American" will be the the theme of the annual July 4 parade. Main Street Newnan kicks off Independence Day activities with the parade at 6 p.m. July 4. The annual parade starts at the Veterans Park at the corner of Temple and Jackson Street and continues down Jackson and LaGrange streets to conclude at Newnan High School.
The Newnan Rotary Club picks up the festivities from there with family fun and fireworks until dark.
Norma Haynes will serve as the grand marshal for the parade.
People interested in being in the parade should contact Alise Cartledge at Main Street at 770-253-8283 or go to www.mainstreetnewnan.com and fill out an application. The completed application can be faxed to 770-253-8753 or mailed to 6 First Ave. Newnan, GA 30263.
This Friday is the deadline for applications. There is no charge to take part in the parade, and all participants must be ready to depart their designated location at 5:30 p.m.
Cartledge, who is Main Street Newnan event coordinator, said the July 5 Market Day on the Square will be extended from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. to accommodate the Homemade Ice Cream Festival, which will last from noon-3 p.m.
So far, it will feature at least seven nonprofits -- or businesses representing nonprofits -- competing for the "coveted title" of the best ice cream flavor. Each participating group can only submit one specific flavor for judging, though they are welcome to sell as many flavors as they like.
The event will be judged by three people who will be picked from the crowd that morning. The cost of the ice cream is set at $1 per bowl, and ice cream vendors will be set up all around the Court Square.
* Moreland has been a July 4 destination for more than half a century. The annual Puckett Station Arts and Crafts Festival will start at 9 a.m., although some activities will get under way earlier.
Josh Evans, president of the Moreland Community Historical Society, said the annual children's bicycle parade will be held at 8:30 a.m. Youngsters will decorate bicycles, tricycles and other non-motorized vehicles in patriotic style. Judges will select first, second and third prize entries. Cash prizes of $20, first; $10, second; and $5, third place; will be given.
A dog walk will be held after the bike parade. Prizes will be given for small breed, large breed and most spirited.
Opening ceremonies start at 9 a.m. Vendors will be offering a wide variety of art, hand-crafted items and antiques during the day. New vendors this year include the unique jewelry -- featuring hand-selected gems from around the world -- made by Grantville artist Janet Robertson.
Also committed to Puckett Station is Cherokee Endurance, who will bring indigenous jewelry, artifacts and leather -- and Indian-style items.
Gretchen Deichelbor said there are still spaces available for the Puckett Station Arts and Crafts Festival. Booths are $45 each. Deichelbor is also setting up a group of tents for local political candidates on the town square. Tent spaces are also $45.
Interested vendors and candidates should contact Deichelbor at 770-251-0342 or e-mail vendors@puckettstation.org.
The MCHS will be selling a newly designed T-shirt that will feature a picture and history of the mill. "The shirt is blue," Evans said. "It really is a nice shirt."
Bruce and Emily Herrington, who have been working on cataloging the collection in the Old Mill Museum, will be at the museum in the historic mill building on July 4.
"He said he would be glad for people to stop by and see what is happening at the museum," Evans said. "We are so lucky to have him and Emily working on this project." The Erskine Caldwell Birthplace and Museum on the town square will also be open during the day on July 4.
The Images Gallery will be open, and a stained glass demonstration will be featured there. Also, Josh Smith will be selling watermelon slices to help fund his Eagle Scout project.
Moreland United Methodist Church, First Baptist Church of Moreland and White Oak Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church will work together once again to run the annual barbecue in Moreland. To get ready for the big day, cooking will begin on July 3 and will continue until all 2,200 pounds of ham is cooked.
Each plate, which will include pork, Brunswick stew, bread and pickles and comes with a drink, will cost $8, up one dollar from last year's price.
Serving will begin at 11 a.m. at the Lewis Grizzard Memorial Barbecue Pavilion behind Moreland Mill, although people are expected to begin lining up around 10:30 a.m., according to Jimmy Haynes, the chairman of this year's barbecue committee. The barbecue will be sold until everything is gone.
"We plan on selling around 2,000 plates this year," said Haynes, "which is about how many we served last year."
If any food is left over, the pork will be sold for $9 per pound and the stew for $8 per quart, said Haynes.
* Plans to present a patriotic drama, "America, the Great," in Grantville fell through after the planned location -- the historic Meadows log cabin -- was not available because of improvements being made at the adjacent ball park.
Instead, playwright and actor David Wilson will present a one-man show about George Washington, the nation's first president and a key figure in the American Revolution.
"I really hated to cancel 'America, the Great' for this year," Wilson said, and he hopes the drama will return as a Grantville event in 2009. "I will not rest until it becomes an annual fourth of July tradition in Grantville."
The George Washington show will be presented July 4 at 7:15 p.m. on property owned by Jim Sells directly across the railroad from First Baptist Church of Grantville. Admission will be free, but donations to the Grantville Veterans Association's efforts to build a memorial in the city park will be collected.
J.C. Doler is president of the GVA. "Local funeral homes will provide chairs and fans and there will be refreshments available" at the Grantville program, Wilson said.
* Haralson will be holding -- for the first time -- its own Independence Day celebration on July 5. Eric Spencer, who helped organize a Fall Festival in Haralson last year and Christmas celebrations for the past two years, is taking the lead in planning for July 5.
Starting at 11 a.m., this first annual celebration will include children's games, pony rides, a Power Shower, display booths, and concessions. Live music by Audra Avery will be featured.
A patriotic parade -- including vintage and show cars -- is scheduled for 6 p.m. Fireworks -- presented by the city of Haralson -- will start at dusk. For information on participating in the parade, call 770-599-8888.
* Peachtree City's July 4 events include a parade at 9 a.m., a concert at city hall at 7 p.m. and fireworks at dusk. The parade will start on Peachtree Parkway South in front of the Braelinn Village Golf Course and will end at Huddleston Elementary School. Several prizes will be awarded for parade entries.
* Meriwether County's celebration will be held at Lake Meriwether in Woodbury. The festival will include music by Newnan singer Eddie Norton and fireworks. Admission to the park is $2 adults and $1 children.
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