Storm doesn’t dampen Fourth of July festivities
MASONTOWN – With just a few weeks to plan the borough’s Fourth of July celebration in 2002, it would seem that festival organizer Frank McLaughlin would have everything going for him after having half a year to plan this year’s event. McLaughlin brought in a petting zoo, vendors, a DJ and even three bands to keep the Independence Day activities lively, in hopes of attracting a large crowd to the German-Masontown Park on Friday.
Vendors lined the street in vivid red-and-white-striped tents, looking to sell ice cream, shirts, barbeque, and knick-knacks of all shapes and sizes. Unfortunately for the vendors, as well as McLaughlin, no one was selling umbrellas and raincoats that day as a drenching rain blanketed the park and much of the region.
The storm arrived just after a barbershop group, the River City Quartet, performed in the park’s amphitheater. Staring into the incessant downpour that had rained on his parade, or at least his festival, McLaughlin could only shake his head and wait it out.
As the storm subsided, vendors began to rebuild their fallen tents and the petting zoo finally was set up, much to the delight of McLaughlin.
“I’m really happy that just about everyone stuck it out,” McLaughlin said, wearing a dry shirt after getting drenched in his last one while running from tent to tent. “The day turned out pretty nice. I was definitely distraught when I saw that rain coming.”
Coincidentally, the River City Quartet, consisting of four Albert Gallatin Area School District students, formed as a group in January, around the same time that McLaughlin started planning the celebration.
After singing in their high school’s production of “The Music Man,” the ensemble, with their instructor, Jeremy Kendall, filling in for baritone Reed Brown, performed everything from “Lida Rose” to “America the Beautiful.” The group agrees that there is something unique about barbershop music, which wouldn’t be complete without the white button-up shirts and red armbands the group adorned.
“We do a lot of patriotic songs, since most of our shows are for veterans,” said Chad Wolf, who sings bass in the group. “It took us about three hours to learn the harmonies for “America the Beautiful.” “The Star Spangled Banner” only took about 45 minutes to learn.”
Fast Eddie and Face in the Crowd also performed during the celebration. Crowds began to increase soon after the rain dwindled, much to the delight of the vendors who sat through the storm.
Dusty Joe, a DJ who worked at the event last year as well, commended those who wouldn’t give in to the dreary weather. “(The weather) is a bit of a downer. The people working should just wait, though, because it’ll clear up and then people will come.”
With attendance increasing leading up to the fireworks, McLaughlin seemed optimistic that his months of planning had not gone down the storm drains with the rainwater.
“I’m happy overall with how things are going. I’m sure the crowd will come around, and we should have a nice crowd for the fireworks tonight. This place usually gets packed for that.”
The crowds stayed around, while elsewhere, hundreds of borough residents took to their porches and back yards to take in the evening’s luminescence.