The Community Foundation of Jennings County will be throwing a big, community party to celebrate its 25th anniversary of as well as the 50th anniversary of mankind’s first step onto the moon.
The Summer Fun Fest will take place from 3 to 10 p.m. July 20 at the Stellar Plaza in downtown North Vernon. The event is free and open to the public.
“To be honest, we had picked a date for the Fun Fest before we realized July 20 was the 50th anniversary of the 1969 landing on the moon. We were just planning a simple summer picnic kind of thing where the people of Jennings County could get to us and we could get to know more of them,” said Joanie Van Horn, assistant director of the Community Foundation.
Van Horn said it was a member of the foundation who had recently retired from NASA who made them aware of the special significance of the date they had chosen.
“Steve Elsner grew up in Jennings County, but after he graduated from Notre Dame he joined NASA and worked there until his retirement. Now he is a member of our board, and as soon as we said the date he knew why the date would be significant, and since then the whole event has taken on a life of its own,” Van Horn said.
In addition to a day of picnicking, live music and games, there will also be a tribute to Hoosier astronaut Virgil “Gus” Grissom and a documentary movie about Apollo 11’s historic landing on the moon.
The day’s event will begin at 3 p.m. with a free picnic provided by the Community Foundation. The picnic will include hot dogs, chips, a cookie and a drink for the first 500 people who will attend the event.
Live music will begin at 3:30 p.m. and play through 5:30 p.m. Music will be provided by Tracy Thompson and Elaine Basham, and special guest Gary Applegate.
There will be bounce houses and games for kids, and a moon-walk dance contest and other free events held throughout the afternoon.
Included will be a presentation about Grissom at the Park Theatre Civic Centre beginning at 7 p.m. The presentation will be given by Grissom’s brother Lowell Grissom.
At 8 p.m. at the Park Theatre Civic Centre, there will be a documentary movie about Apollo 11’s moon landing.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”If you go” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
What: Summer Fun Fest
When: 3 to 10 p.m. July 20
Where: Stellar Plaza in downtown North Vernon
Why: To celebrate the Community Foundation of Jennings County’s 25th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of man’s landing on the moon
[sc:pullout-text-end]
