Cities serve up a fun, festive Fourth
Cities serve up a fun, festive Fourth

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By Jessica Jackson, James S. Tyree and Brian Sargent
Published: July 5, 2008
Modified: July 6, 2008 at 1:17 am

Red, white and blue filled the streets of Edmond as people from across the state came Friday to participate in and watch the annual LibertyFest parade.

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"I really wanted to come and see the soldiers and stuff like that,” said Hayden Unsell, 6. But, he said, the fire trucks were his favorite part.

More than 250 entries were submitted for the morning parade, including Oklahoma City's Purple Heart chapter, University of Central Oklahoma's president and family and state congressmen.

Bob Goodner, 67, of Norman performed with the Okie Dokie Banjo Band. This was the band's seventh year in the parade.

"We've done this for quite a few years,” Goodner said. "It promotes the only American instrument: The four-string banjo.”

Band members wore red and white and played American songs, such as "Yankee Doodle Dandy” and "You're a Grand Old Flag.”

Many people attended the parade to see family members marching with the Boy Scouts or performing in a local high school band.

Carolyn Hassan, 72, of Oklahoma City and some friends were wearing Hawaiian T-shirts and headbands with red, white and blue poufs. They were there to support the Shriners, she said.

She said they had another parade to attend Friday and two today.

"What we like to see is the Shriners,” she said. "And the bands. And the horses. All of it.”

Arm wrestling and ugly dogs
In Norman, before the evening fireworks show, the 33rd annual Norman Day celebration at Reaves Park included several contests that had at least two repeat champions.

Kathy Woods won her division in arm wrestling for the eighth year in a row, while Lila the English bulldog won a second straight ugliest dog title.

Lila won last year just three days after being rescued from an abusive home. Tim Kortemeier first saw her tied to a tree and neglected with multiple skin rashes.

On Friday, her skin was much clearer as she wore a pink tutu to the contest.

"Last year, she really was the ugliest dog,” Kortemeier said. "This year, it was more by default.”

Woods, a certified nursing assistant from Norman, has become a shoo-in at the Norman Day arm wrestling contests. Male and female contestants are split in three weight categories, and Woods is the eight-time champion in the heavy division.

She credits her streak to a combination of lifting patients each workday, an adrenaline rush when competing and "Mama's good cooking.”

Enjoying ‘the fun atmosphere'
Several thousand people gathered in Oklahoma City for the second annual Red, White & Boom at the Downtown Airpark, along the southern bank of the Oklahoma River.

The two-day event began Thursday. It featured live music, food, giant inflatable toys, vendors and fireworks.

"I think this is great. The music is good and I love the fun atmosphere,” said Sierra Jones of Oklahoma City.

Jones showed her love of the holiday by wearing white pants, a red shirt and a hat with a red, white and blue ribbon circled around it.

On Friday, four bands performed, ending with the Fabulous Thunderbirds.


 

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tu, Oklahoma City - Jul 7, 2008 at 8:30 am
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i guess if you consider hostile police and drunken crilznackers fun
tu, Oklahoma City - Jul 7, 2008 at 8:30 am
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Not discounting the number of people or anything Sparky, but I read somewhere that fireworks were in short supply this year - and more expensive - because some of the biggest fireworks warehouses in China burned down recently.
MartzMimic, Oklahoma City - Jul 6, 2008 at 6:39 am
There must have been 20,000 people in Nicoma Park between Post and Westminster. I saw 4 ambulances and I lost count of fire trucks, police, sheriff and reserves. I have witnessed the event at the legal firework island city since the early 70's but this year was the biggest. I estimated at least 3000 cars and trucks. They had wrecks all over the place and people were falling like flies. The town was covered in smoke. It took me 45 minutes to make a 30 minute drive from Nicoma Park to Edmond because of all the traffic coming in from the county roads. People were setting off fireworks in the county on Douglas, Spencer Road, Midwest Boulevard, Brittan, Hefner, and Coltrane. It caused traffic jams all over and I can just imagine the mess it left. I'm not against fireworks but this is the first year I noticed it was so huge. It was also the first time ever that I saw stands close down from running out of merchandise.
Sparky (Mark), Oklahoma City - Jul 5, 2008 at 6:25 pm

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