HOPE – The town of Hope has organized an Old-Fashioned Independence Day beginning July 1, planning fireworks on the same night as the Columbus Regional Health and Q-MIX fireworks display.
The fireworks display in Hope, which will be set off Jackson Street on the west side of town, will coincide with the Columbus show, which will be north of Blackwell Park near Parkside Middle School in Columbus.
Both of the displays begin at approximately 10 p.m.
Those who plan to watch the fireworks display from the Hope Town Square are urged to bring their own chair.
Hope’s Old-Fashioned Independence Day will have an increase in food vendors, event spokeswoman Jessica Brown said. Treats such as funnel cakes, lemon shake-ups and desserts will be supplied by organizations including the Hope Volunteer Fire Department, the Moravian Boy Scout Troop, Kappa Kappa Sigma, and the Wesleyan Church Ladies, Brown said.
The event at the recently renovated Hope town square gets underway at approximately 5 p.m. on July 1 with a Cruise-In Car Show. Ongoing games and crafts will begin at 5:30 p.m.
An apple pie contest will be held at the Wesleyan Church Ladies’ booth. All entries must be submitted between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m., with judging scheduled to get underway at 6:45 p.m. Cash prizes will be awarded, but all pies will be cut and served with ice cream after the winners are announced. Call Trina Newton at 812-344-5438 for more details.
The annual celebration in Hope has traditionally included the Kids’ Parade, which includes decorated bikes, tricycles, strollers and wagons. It’s open to children 10 years of age or younger who are asked to meet on the north side of the square between 6 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.
Any child between 3 and 10 years old can enter the “Little Miss and Mr. Firecracker Contest.” A number of kids already have canisters set up in Hope-area businesses in an effort to collect the most pennies. Winners of the contest will lead the parade, as well as be provided a gift bag and a crown.
Parents must submit permission sheets for their child to participate no later than Tuesday at either the Yellow Trail Museum or at Deckard Tool and Engineering, 610 West Drive in Hope.
Other activities during Hope’s Old Fashioned Independence Day include:
- 6:45 p.m. – Cake walk in the shelter house
- 6:30 to 9 p.m. – Banister Family Band at the bandstand
- 7 p.m. – Sack races
- 7:15 p.m. – Watermelon seed spitting contest
- 7:45 p.m. – Tug of war
- 7:45 p.m. – Presentation of awards for Cruise-In.
- 8 p.m. – Water balloon toss
During the event, the Yellow Trail Museum, located at the southwest corner of Main and Jackson streets, will be selling ice-cream floats for $1.
