Lions Club presents firecrackin’ July 4 Celebration
WAYNESBURG – Patriotism was at an all-time high at the Greene County Fairgrounds Tuesday as the Waynesburg Lions Club proudly presented its annual July 4 Celebration.
Sponsored by the Lions Club, the Greene County commissioners and Consol Energy, the celebration kicked off with a well-attended pancake and sausage breakfast and continued with the 10th annual car, truck or motorcycle show, which featured 65 entries this year. Rocky Ridge Acres also provided free wagon rides for children.
The festivities continued with the annual Little Miss Firecracker pageant, which featured seven contestants. The 2016 Little Miss Firecracker, Alaina Moore, daughter of John Moore and Shannon Fuller of Clarksville, crowned the new queen.
Eleanor Chapman, Lions Club member, officiated the pageant. The participants appeared in patriotic attire and were interviewed on stage. Little Miss Firecracker is determined by each contestant drawing a wrapped flower from a basket, with the off-colored flower determining the new queen for 2017. The winner received a crown, sash, trophy and bouquet, and each contestant received a participation medal.
Alaya King was crowned the 2017 Miss Firecracker. She is the six-year-old daughter of Lauren Keys of Carmichaels and stepfather Danny Wright, Jr.
“Everyone did wonderfully,” Chapman said. “We had seven cute girls. They came last night (Monday) to practice and they did a terrific job. I wish they all could win, but there is only one Little Miss Firecracker.”
Since July 4 fell on a Tuesday, the Lions Club treated it as another evening of its ongoing “Sounds of Summer” concert series. The series presents free musical concerts that are typically held at the Lions Club Park, but the July 4 concert was held in front of the grandstands following the Little Miss Firecracker Pageant and featured music by the Union Sound Treaty band.
Lions Club member Nelson Fox said the concert series is going very well, with roughly 65 to 100 people attending each week. Future concerts in the series will incvlude the Dan Baker Group, July 11; Square 13, July 18; Cole Leathers, July 25; and Chanler Bailey Steel Drums, Aug. 2.
Lions Club member Herb Thompson organized the closing ceremonies, which included Kate Graham performing patriotic selections and the American Legion Post 330 and VFW Post 4793 providing the presentation of colors.
Throughout the event, the Lions Club provided lunch and evening concessions for the crowd.
The evening closed with a spectacular fireworks display that left those in attendance in awe and filled with patriotism and pride.