"Christmas in July" to be theme
of this year's 4th of July festivities
Mike Tozzo
June 28, 2007.
Fourth of July committee chairs, Cena Martin and Ryan McFarland, wouldn’t say how the “Christmas in July” theme came about because it would give away this year’s Grand Marshal of the annual 4th of July parade. “The theme was basically chosen because of the Grand Marshal,” McFarland explained.
The 4th of July celebration in Petersburg begins on Monday, July 2, and goes through Wednesday, July 4. “Monday features the scrap fish derby and gym night, so it’s kind of a day for the kids,” said McFarland. Tuesday includes games hosted at the state dock, which include fishermen’s games, the timber sport challenge, tote races and blindfolded rowboat races.
According to Martin, there is nothing much new from last year except for an artist reception for MaryJane Parr-Larson, which will be held at Wild Celery on the fourth.
For the second year in a row the fireworks will be held at the ball field and those will start at 11 p.m.
Martin and McFarland have been chairing the committee for four years and been on the committee for a combined 17 years. Aside from Martin and McFarland the committee features a whole new cast of committee members. Those members include, Ailis Vann, Earl Warner, Sheena Lee, Orin Pierson, Hayley Short and Mike Tozzo.
Like last year, the two are wishing for good weather during this year’s Fourth of July festivities. “We hope to run a safe and fun event along with having a good showing of people for all the events,” McFarland added.
About the schedule of events, McFarland explained that they’ve found that if the committee takes something away it’s usually for a good reason. “For example, the pie eating contest, it was fun but more of a mess than it was worth,” he said.
According to McFarland, the events have been chosen because it’s not too much work for the people who put them on and the benefits to the public are maximized. “We’ve minimized the amount of work we have to do for the maximum gain,” said McFarland.