Salute To The Fourth - July 2016

Salute to the Fourth

2C | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | forsythnews.com

SUNDAY, JULY 3, 2016

Fireworks to dazzle fairgrounds tonight If you go...

• The city of Cumming’s July 4 festivities begin at 6 p.m. today with vendors, kids activities and live music • Dance contest: 8:30 p.m.

• Fireworks show: 9:30 p.m.

• Where: Cumming Fairgrounds, 235 Castleberry Road • Cost: Free

By Kayla Robins

krobins@forsythnews.com File photo

The Cumming Fairgrounds will host the city’s annual Independence D a y c e l e b r a t i o n , b eg i n n i n g a t 6 p.m. today.

Dave Horton, director of the fairgrounds, said the summer event is the biggest single-day event the city puts on.

“We’ll have 28, 30,000 at the fair [in one day], but that’s from 10 a.m. t o m i d n i g h t . Fo r t h e fi r ewo r k s , they’re all here at one time,” Horton said. “It’s pretty much elbow to

elbow in here.”

The free event will have vendors, a kids zone with inflatables, food a n d e n t e r t a i n m e n t f r o m A n d r ew Black at 7:30 p.m.

A change this year comes with the annual dance contest.

“Historically in the past we’ve always done it after the fireworks at 10 o’clock. With kids going to bed early, a lot of families are leaving after the fireworks,” Horton said.

The contest, which begins at 8:30 p.m., is open to all ages. “[Ages] generally range from 2-3 years old to 80-plus,” he said.

The fireworks show will start at 9:30 p.m. and typically lasts about 20-25 minutes.

“It’s pretty much rain or shine.

We’ll wait for a window if we have t o , bu t t h e r e ’s n o t r e a l l y a r a i n date,” Horton said.

The display can be seen from any-

where within the fairgrounds.

Horton said he expects about 20,000-25,000 people to attend the event.

“There’s huge crowds not just here but all over town. Everywhere there’s asphalt. Shopping centers and businesses around town. They can see at least all the high-level shots. There’s a crowd of folks all over town that never actually come here on the grounds,” Horton said.

He said predictions for the total number of people who watch the fireworks show are between 60,000 and 75,000.

“The majority [of the attendees] are local, but we do have quite a few that come from outside [Forsyth],” he said. “And because we do ours on July 3, they will c o m e h e r e eve n i f t h ey ’r e H a l l County or Dawson and then they catch another show in their county or nearby on the fourth.

“A lot of folks are bio-technic nuts.”

He said people can bring coolers a n d t h e i r ow n f o o d a n d d r i n k s , though alcohol is not allowed.”

Parking lots and the two parking decks typically fill up around 8:30 p.m., Horton said, and people who arrive later usually end up parking at Forsyth Central High School and walking over.

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forsythnews.com | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | 3C

SUNDAY, JULY 3, 2016

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4C | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | forsythnews.com

SUNDAY, JULY 3, 2016

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forsythnews.com | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | 5C

SUNDAY, JULY 3, 2016

Steam engines to parade through downtown Cumming

By Kayla Robins

krobins@fosythnews.com

Forsyth County may be growing at a high rate that makes the land look unlike it did in the past, but the area remains steeped in tradition. And this holiday weekend will not shy away from the annual festivities.

T h e a n n u a l T h o m a s - M a s h bu r n Steam Engine Parade will fill the streets downtown for the 59th year on Monday.

The procession, which begins at 10 a.m., generally lasts about one or two hours, said Amy Webb, an organizer of the parade.

Beginning at Central, about 20-30 steam engines, Cumming Major H. Ford Gravitt and local veterans will lead the floats down Tribble Gap Road to the fairgrounds.

Web said about 100 entries are in this year’s lineup.

She said though it is hard to count, estimates are that about 10,000 people line the streets for the procession.

She suggested parents bring earplugs or earmuffs for children or anyone who may not like the loud noises coming from the steam engines.

The main safety issue, she said, is keeping children from running past

the ropes into the street to collect candy that falls short. “ M y g r e a t - g r a n d d a d d y, G l e n Thomas – I used to call him Daddy Glen – he rode a steam engine around the square, and people followed him around on their bikes,” s a i d We b b ’s h u s b a n d , R i c h a r d Webb.

The next year, the Mashburn family joined the Thomas family, and three steam engines rode around the s q u ar e. An d p e o p l e fo l l owe d o n bikes.

The year after that, the local radio station broadcast the procession, saying everybody in town was there.

“He said there were more people than there were, but the next year, they all showed up,” Richard Webb said.

And so birthed the steam engine parade tradition.

It’s a good way to get out and celebrate our independence. The heritage Forsyth County has here for doing this parade for so long, it’s always been about continuing the tradition,” Amy Webb said. “It’s very family-oriented. With all the changes you see today in Forsyth County, it’s a cool thing to see a tradition like this continue through the years.”

If you go...

• 59th annual Thomas-Mashburn Steam Engine Parade gets rolling at 10 a.m. Monday • Where: Tribble Gap/Castleberry roads, beginning at Forsyth Central High School and ending at the Cumming Fairgrounds • Cost: Free

File photo

Officials: be safe with fireworks

By Kayla Robins

krobins@forsythnews.com

Fireworks and the Fourth of July may seem like they go hand in hand, but they can be dangerous if not used properly.

Officials with the Forsyth County Fire Department said families and friends are encouraged to enjoy the holiday together and with fireworks, as long as they are done so safely with “simple, commonsense guidelines.”

A bill was passed in 2015 that made aerial fireworks legal in Georgia, which anyone 18 years or older are allowed to purchase and possess.

Though all types of fireworks are now legal, Fire Division Chief Jason Shivers cautioned residents against creating their own shows by shooting off more than one at a time.

“The intent of consumer-grade fireworks is to enjoy them in short bursts one at a time,” he said. ­ — Following are some other safety tips Shivers provided for shooting fireworks: • Children should never shoot fireworks, including sparklers • Never shoot fireworks at people, animals, structures or trees • Do not shoot fireworks indoors, including on porches

• In the case of an injury, immediately call 911 and administer any first aid available • Douse misfired fireworks with water and let them soak before disposing of them ­— Fireworks can be scary for animals, which are more sensitive to loud noises than humans.

“Reports of missing animals tend to spike over this holiday because of loud noises,” Shivers said.

He said to keep pets indoors on the nights of July 3 and 4.

“Even if you’re not doing [fireworks] from your own home, your neighbors may be,” he said.

He also cautioned the dry summer conditions in combination with fireworks.

“We’re not back into a semi-drought pattern. The last couple years we were fortunate with wet springs and summers, and we are concerned about fire spread because of fallout from fireworks,” he said.

He said if there is any indication a fire has begun, whether from a direct firework or from debris, call 911 immediately and do not try to put the fire out without professional crews.

“It’s always a safe bet to attend a professional show,” Shivers said. “If there’s one in your area, and there’s a lot of options this time of year, we always recommend attending one of those.”

File photo

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6C | FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS | forsythnews.com

SUNDAY, JULY 3, 2016

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