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Happy Independence Day!: Version 2004 (By Ronee' Le-Anne Reaux, aged 11 1/2) by Karen Lynn Vidra, The Texas Tornado
Friday, July 2, 2004
Rated "G" by the Author.
The Fourth of July is quickly coming up upon us, and Ronee' wanted to get ahead of the crowd and wish everyone a safe and fun-filled Fourth of July.
Boy, I love this time of year....
Summer is upon us in full force, and we kids don't have to worry about going to school, and we can do anything we want while we are on summer break. I also love this time of year because my favorite holiday is fast approaching, and I always look forward to the July 4th holiday.
Today is the second of July, and our city is throwing its annual "Nashville Fourth of July BLAST!" at Centennial Park, and for three days--this entire weekend--July 2, 3, and 4, 2004--, there are rides, carnival games, contests of any sort, continuous live entertainment provided on three stages (I will be performing myself tomorrow afternoon for 45 minutes--, and again on July 4 at five, before the Nashville Symphony Orchestra takes over; that day, I perform for an hour), and of course, to cap off the festival, fireworks each night, with the biggest (and best) display reserved for July 4, with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra (and other assorted guests) entertaining the happy holiday crowd prior to the fireworks display.
We will be going to the festival later on today, and we will be there all day tomorrow and Sunday. The parade will be held July 3 (tomorrow) at 9 in the morning, and after the parade is overwith and done, we will go to the park and partake in the festival happenings until I am scheduled to perform tomorrow afternoon. I then do my thing, and after I am done singing and playing my music, we will continue to have fun until the fireworks; and then we leave to go home until we do the same thing all over again on Sunday.
When we go to the festival, maman and daddy always fix up a huge picnic style lunch, and we have our picnic at the park. We then listen to the music, or we kids hit the rides; and maman and daddy enjoy the time away from us. They spend the day listening to the music while the older kids keep tabs on us younger kids, and we always have the best time. We ride the rides, or if we can't (like Todd, Jodie, or Johnny, as three examples), then we watch the people ON the rides, or we pork out on junk food. LOL We then play some of the carnival games, and we generally act goofy and stupid, and we always have fun!
Some of the biggest names in country music are scheduled at the festival: Joe Diffie, Martina McBride, George Jones, and Alan Jackson, in addition to numerous local or up-and-coming entertainers (like myself). Plus there will be music of all sorts featured at the festival, so you get an eclectic mix. At the festival, there are country/western, rock, Cajun, classical, jazz, R & B, folk, Mexican, gospel, bluegrass, and polka bands or entertainers scheduled, so no matter what your taste in music, chances are you will find it at the festival and will be entertained.
There are contests galore: pie-eating, watermelon seed spitting (ICK!), three-legged races, tug-of-war, and the "Craziest Pet Get-Up" (sort of like a beauty pageant for pets), as well as baby crawling, wife-carrying, and arm wrestling conttests. It is a chance for people to test their mettle at different things, and it is a chance for people to try to win cash prizes or trophies. They are even going to be giving away a free 2004 HUMMER H-2 as the "super" grand prize. (I had a friend, Roberto Sormiento, who won it last year. He still has it. His HUMMER is orange. I don't know what color the HUMMER is this year, but I wish I were older or eligible to win it! Too bad I am just a kid! DARN!)
Of course, there is also the food: you name it, and it will be there. If you don't bring your own "grub", there will be food concessions available with a whole United Nations of food available: Greek, Mexican, Cajun, German, Polish, and even good ole American foods. If the picnic area doesn't set your taste buds to waterin', the smells of the foods enamating from the concession stands WILL, and chances are you will be pulling out the bucks for some refeshing food and drink!
But the biggest draw (besides the big-name country entertainment, and also the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, that is) is, of course, the star of the entire extravaganza: the fireworks. The fireworks display is among the best and biggest here in Nashville, and people come from miles around just to see the fireworks. (We even have had people come to the festival from as far away as Kentucky, Ohio, and the Virginias.) And when the fireworks go off, the crowds are never disappointed, and afterwards, the cheering and applause goes on for at least a half hour!
So you can see why I am looking forward to later on today, and also tomorrow and Sunday. It is play time for us, and we get to spend our time having FUN! I can't hardly wait to go to the festival, and it is always a big highlight of my summer, almost as much as going to Fan Fair (now called the CMA Music Festival [although I didn't go this year, thanks to our house getting damaged by the storm]). Maybe this will make up for our missing the CMA Festival. I sure hope so because I really hated having to miss the CMA Music Festival/Fan Fair!!
If I don't get a chance to wish you a Happy July 4th, let me do that now. I may not get that chance later, seeing MOST of my weekend will be spent mostly at the Nashville Fourth of July BLAST! Festival! I hope your July 4 is the best EVER, and I hope it is safe, full of Fourth of July FUN, and I hope that you get to catch the fireworks! After all, that is probably one of the BEST things about the Fourth: the fireworks, and also celebrating our freedom and our country!
God bless America!!!! Thank GOD we are FREE!!!! :D
~Written by Ronee' Le-Anne Reaux, aged 11 1/2, on July 2 (Friday), 2004, at 11:01 a.m.
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Boy, I love this time of year....
