Monday, June 22, 2009 9:59 PM CDT
Arthur gets jump on patriotic celebrations
By HERB MEEKER, Staff Writer
hmeeker@jg-tc.com
ARTHUR — Mark Jones laughed when he recalled a reaction to the town’s fireworks display one year.
“There were people who live a few miles away and they said it looked like Arthur was under siege,” said Jones, Arthur fireworks commissioner and a tireless promoter of the patriotic pyrotechnics. The show is set to light up the sky Saturday night.
Billed as the “biggest fireworks display in East Central Illinois,” the Arthur fireworks now draw people not only from surrounding counties, but from a few states as well.
“We’re a throwback to what Fourth of July used to be. That is why many people come here. And we have heard of people bringing their families from surrounding states for the weekend,” Jones said.
The fireworks program, which features a wall of fire and a 16-inch shell, will be presented after 9:30 p.m. Saturday by AM Pyrotechnics of Buffalo, Mo., and the Niagara Falls Fellows.
Jones noted the extra efforts of dozens of individuals, organizations, and agencies that helped behind the scenes. These include people working the fundraising games and events in Jurgens Park, just south of Arthur High School.
Though the skies and ground light up in the evening, the fun starts Friday afternoon with the Arthur Association of Commerce and local merchants joining the Arthur Rotary Club activities. Food vendors, a flea market and kids’ rides will open at 3 p.m. Friday near Yoder’s Restaurant. This will continue at 8 a.m. Saturday.
The events at Jurgens Park include helicopter rides, starting at 4 p.m. Saturday, and the vendors and fundraising stands open at 5 p.m. Other events through the evening before the fireworks include T-shirt tosses, aircraft flyovers, paramilitary sky divers and patriotic music.
The fireworks include 500-feet-long waterfalls and a wall of fire, plus a 16-inch shell, which has a special legacy, Jones said. It is dedicated to Staff Sgt. Jason Burkholder of Marshall and 1st Lt. Jared Southworth of Oakland, who were both killed in Afghanistan.
“When that shell goes up, we want everyone to say a prayer for them and all the veterans,” Jones said.
With hot weather expected this weekend — the rain date is Sunday — Jones suggests people bring water, sunscreen, lawn chairs or blanket for seating and plan on parking a distance from the park and walking to a good viewing area.
Contact Herb Meeker at hmeeker@jg-tc.com or 238-6869.
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wazafarmer wrote on Jun 23, 2009 5:23 AM: