|
Benton fireworks display planned for Fourth of July |
|
|
Tuesday, 24 June 2008 |
Music, food and fireworks will be the Fourth of July offerings at Tyndall Park in Benton.
Curtis McCormack, director of the parks and recreation department, said the city will continue a longtime tradition of presenting a 30-minute fireworks extravaganza at the conclusion of the holiday celebration.
“We’ll shoot our fireworks about 9 p.m.,” McCormack said. “We’ll be using the same company, Night Vision of Memphis, that has been doing this for a number of years.
“Like always, there’s no admission. We want everybody that’s interested to come out and see the show.”
For several years, estimated attendance at the park for the fireworks exhibition has been 5,000-6,000 people, but many others are watching from other locations, McCormack said.
“It’s tough to figure how many are seeing it,” he said. “For every one person we see at the park, we know there’s at least two watching from somewhere else.
“They watch from the county courthouse, from Benton High School across the street from the park and from Parkview United Methodist Church [on Border Street], and the guys at the fire station downtown are always watching. You can see it for a long way off.”
McCormack reminded area residents that it’s illegal for people to shoot fireworks at the park or anywhere else in the city because of a city ordinance.
“We have the largest show that the fire department will issue a permit for in our space at the park,” McCormack said, so literally the city offers “the largest show that the law will allow.”
Musical groups will be perform at the park starting at 6.
“Alderman Joe Lee Richards and some of his musical friends will be performing in Pavilion No. 1 and contemporary Christian bands will be performing in the amphitheater,” McCormack said.
The amphitheater groups will include The Revealing and Messenger, which includes the Petty brothers from Holland Chapel Missionary Baptist Church.
Richards said his group will include Joe Head, an 80-year-old musician who many years ago played with the late Eddie Arnold on his television show, and Dennis Wallace, a western swing musician who played with Jimmy Doyle’ s River Bottom Boys and in the late 1950s and 1960s played with singer Ray Price.
“He even played with Gene Autry and a lot of big artists,” Richards said.
“We’ve got two new sounds systems we’ll be using, and we’re real excited about this,” Richards said. “We’re going to have a great show and a lot of fun.”
McCormack commended Richards and his musician friends for sharing their talent and encouraged people to come out to hear their music.
“This is a style of music that is fading,” he said. “Everything is more automated now. These guys are really talented and when they’re gone, their music will be gone. I wish it could be preserved. We’re lucky to have them.
“Joe has some some world-class musicians performing with him,” he added.
Several food vendors will be set up at the park, McCormack said.
“We encourage people to come out and have a good time while celebrating our country’s freedoms,” he said.
|
Razorbacks
