By By Penny Randall / staff writer
July 2, 2004
Meridian has a long tradition of pulling out all the stops on July 4 and this year will be no
different.
The Fourth of July Cellular South Pops Concert featuring the Meridian Symphony Orchestra will be Sunday at Bonita Lakes.
The park opens at 3:30 p.m. with vendors selling a variety of food and drinks. Festivities begin at 7:30 p.m. with the announcement of the winner of the Sonny Montgomery Patriot Award, named after former U.S. Rep. G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery.
That will be followed by a fly-over by pilots from Naval Air Station Meridian.
A concert of patriotic music presented by the Meridian Symphony Orchestra will begin at 8 p.m. The evening will climax at 9 p.m. with a gigantic fireworks show lighting the skies over Meridian.
All events are free and open to the public; people should bring blankets and lawn chairs.
For those wanting to park in the Bonita Lakes Mall parking lot, a free shuttle service will run every 30 minutes starting at 5:30 p.m. and continuing until 8 p.m. Riders will be picked up and let off at the mall main-entrance.
The same shuttles will pick up riders at the drop-off spot and take them back to the main mall entrance starting 10 minutes after the fireworks show.
Cellular South, along with the city of Meridian is sponsoring the concert.
For information, call 485-1944.
MORE JULY FOURTH CELEBRATIONS
Today, 9 p.m. Archusa Water Park in Quitman presents its annual fireworks display at the water park. Call 776-5701. Admission to the park
is $1.
Saturday, 10 a.m. "Patriotic Praise Parade" in historic downtown Macon. Former Iraqi hostage Tommy Hamill will be grand marshal. Call the Noxubee County Chamber of Commerce at (800) 487-0165 or Macon City Hall at (662) 726-5847.
Saturday at dusk Fireworks at dusk on the DeKalb baseball field at the intersection of Highways 16 and 39. Call 743-2754.
Sunday, 4 p.m. July Fourth festivities at DeKalb Courthouse Square, hosted by the Kemper County Chamber of Commerce. Entertainment by the Prison Choir followed at 5 p.m. by a fly-over from Naval Air Station Meridian pilots. Guest speakers will include Capt. J. Dickman, commanding officer of NAS Meridian. There will also be a tribute to Joshua Ladd, a soldier killed in Iraq. U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering will give the keynote speech.
Sunday, 9:30 p.m. The Pearl River Resort in Philadelphia will host a 20-minute fireworks show. The show is free and open to the public.