Lincoln Park District offers day-long celebration for the Fourth of July

 

[July 06, 2019] 

LINCOLN 

This year, the Lincoln Park District went all out to provide a day of fun family friendly activities for the Fourth of July starting with the traditional Children’s Walking Parade and ending with a wonderful fireworks display.

The day began at Scully Park where children and many adults participated in the walking parade. There were a large number of children who came on bikes and the bicycle classes were indeed the most difficult for the judges not only because of the quantity but also because of the quality of entries.

Nearly every bicycle was nicely decorated in red, white and blue with glittery garlands, American flags, and much more.

In addition to decorating their bikes the kids themselves also work patriotic colors and accessories such as Uncle Sam Style hats, stars and stripes sunglasses, head bands, and even red, white and blue hair!

The walkers were also nicely decked out in their patriotic colors with many carrying American Flags. Even the wagons and strollers with tiny tots inside were decked out to reflect the theme of the holiday.

Among the entries this year there was only one pet, but he was a popular return – Erb. The little dog was also well adorned as he arrived at the park with his little red, white, and blue hat.

At the beginning of the event, kids and their parents registered at a table manned by park district volunteers, then were lined up by LPD program director Abby Neece.

This year the judges were Patty Becker of the United Way of Logan County and Karen Hargis with Lincoln Daily News.

When the judging was completed the parade began, led by the Lincoln Police Department squad car. The Lincoln Fire Department was also on hand and brought up the rear of the parade. The parade traveled from Scully Park to the Lincoln Park District.

At the park district, everyone was offered bottled water and a snack before Neece announced this year’s prize winners.

With the business of the parade completed, the Lincoln Fire Department offered kids the opportunity to get wet as they unrolled their fire hoses and sprayed water across the front lawn at the LPD. Many youngsters enjoyed that opportunity on a very warm morning after a pretty long hike.

At noontime the Aquatic Center was opened and those coming in for a swim were invited to participate in fun and games in the pool.

In the early afternoon inflatable obstacle courses and bounce houses were set up, oversized games such as Jenga and checkers were set up, a balloon artist arrived, as did a very talented face painter. All the activities at the park were provided free of charge and kids and adults alike enjoyed the games. The playground was also a popular place as children of all sizes enjoyed all the park district had to offer.

Lincoln Land Catering and Nuthatch Hill BBQ came out and set up their food trucks so visitors could take advantage of the popular summer foods - barbecue and corn dogs for an afternoon snack or an evening meal.

The Josh Holland Band arrived and set up for an evening of entertainment. The music began at 6 p.m. and the band played two sets, wrapping up right around 8 p.m. The music was a mix of country, mild or soft rock and crossover and could be heard and enjoyed all over the park.

A bags tournament was held for kids and was a good deal of fun for those who participated.

As the afternoon turned to dusk, people began to gather along the edge of the putting green in anticipation of the fireworks that would come when the skies grew dark. Families gathered with their lawn chairs and blankets, kids took advantage of the wide open spaces for play.

The fireworks then began at around 9:20 p.m. and were some of the best the park district has ever offered. The night began with an awesome ground display and ended with a grand finale that lasted several minutes all by itself. In between there were dozens of Chinese Rockets sent into the sky with many colorful eruptions that brought exclamations from the audience. On a number of occasions rockets were shot off in groups of two and three at a time, making for a full sky of colorful explosions.

This year, the LPD worked hard to raise the funding to bring a day-long event to Lincoln. There were many downtown businesses and individuals who lent their support to the efforts with cash donations for the fireworks and sponsorships for some of the special activities. The Josh Holland Band was sponsored by Lincoln Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, and Friendship Manor and the ALMH Community Health Collaborative were sponsors for the inflatable games on the lawn. The LPD also sought and received financial assistance from the Logan County Tourism Bureau.

The LPD and the volunteers that worked so hard to bring the celebration to Lincoln were well satisfied with how it all turned out. The children’s parade was one of the best attended in the last several years. The activities at the park during the afternoon were well attended.

The band did a great job and the music was good. The balloon guy and the face painting lady were popular as there was a constant line for their offerings all evening long.

For the first year of retuning to an old-fashion family celebration, the activities were well attended but not crowded. The park district is optimistic that they made a good first start at a continuing tradition of bringing a day-long celebration to the citizens of Lincoln and Logan County. They are hopeful that in the future years, they will see more and more people come home to Lincoln for their Independence Day celebrations.

[Nila Smith]