Communities get ready for week of July Fourth celebrations
By Staff Reports
Published in News on June 30, 2009 1:46 PM
Full Size
News-Argus/MITCH LOEBER
The 4th Fighter Wing Honor Guard presents the flag during the national anthem sung by Ros and Denise Ballance at an Independence Day celebration at Huntington Manor in Goldsboro Monday evening.
Wayne County will mark Independence Day this week with a variety of celebrations, starting Thursday at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.
A list of activities across the county, including fireworks displays in three areas and government office closures and changes in garbage collection schedules, is given below.
Fireworks, parades
There will be a display of fireworks at Berkeley Mall on Friday, starting at 9 p.m.
On Thursday, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base will hold a celebration featuring a variety of musical acts in coordination with the "Coalition to Salute American Heroes." Bands will include the Keegan Reed Band, the Stephan Cochran Band and the Don Preach Band.
The event is open to people who have a base pass and their families and guests. People who do not have a base pass must be escorted by a person who has a base pass.
Vendors will be selling ice cream, hotdogs, French fries, chicken strips, nachos, funnel cakes, caramel apples and more. Club staff will sell beer. No coolers will be allowed.
From 5 until 8:30 p.m., a "Kiddy Land" will be open for children at the Gym Softball Field. It will include a variety of games, a water slide and face-painting. Access is $5.
From 5 to 9 p.m., there will be free family entertainment, including a Hula Hoop contest, cow milking contest, a "duck pond," sack race, egg walk and clown shows. At 9:15 p.m., the fireworks that conclude the evening's events will start.
In Mount Olive, the annual Fourth of July celebration will be held Saturday, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Westbrook Park on North Breazeale Avenue. There will be free food, entertainment and children's activities, and the evening will be capped off by a fireworks display at the airport north of town just off the Old Mount Olive Highway.
Children are encouraged to decorate their tricycles, bicycles, wagons and other non-motorized vehicles in a patriotic theme for the parade, which will wind around the walking trail at the park. Entertainment will start at 5:30 p.m. with music by Hampton Lee, the Harmony Boys and Kim Holmes. Free food will include pizza, hot dogs, soft drinks and more. The event is sponsored by the Exchange Club of Mount Olive along with the help of other Mount Olive organizations and businesses.
Faison Baptist Church in Faison will sponsor its annual Fourth of July celebration on Saturday, beginning at 5 p.m. The festivities will feature food and entertainment and a fireworks display that will start at dusk.
4th of July closures,
schedule changes
* Goldsboro city offices will be closed Friday.
* Wayne County offices will be closed Friday.
* Mount Olive town hall will be closed Monday, July 6. The town board meeting that normally would be held that night has been rescheduled to Wednesday, July 8 at 7 p.m. The closing will delay garbage pick up by one day.
* Pikeville town hall will be closed Friday.
* Fremont town hall will be closed Friday.
* Seven Springs town hall will be closed Friday.
* Calypso and Faison town halls will be closed Friday.
* State offices will be closed on Friday.
* Federal offices will be closed Friday.
* The Wayne County Public Library will be closed Friday and Saturday.
* Postal Service offices will be open on both Friday and Monday, but will be closed on Saturday.
* Waste Industries will operate on a normal schedule during the holiday.
* The Wayne County landfill and its 13 waste disposal sites will be closed on Friday.
* The Goldsboro/Wayne Transportation Authority will be operating on a holiday schedule on Friday, July 3 for the Fourth of July holiday. The bus service will operate from 9:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m., while the van service will be on its normal operating schedule. Passengers requesting van service for July 3 through July 5 must call and schedule transportation no later than 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 1.