Fourth of July activities set for Saturday

Grab your lawn chairs and blankets and get ready for the Fourth of July celebration in Newton Saturday. Events kick-off at 7 a.m. and go until dark for a full day of family fun activities.

“We just want everybody to come out and enjoy themselves and have another fun experience here at the Fourth of July in Newton,” Newton Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Craig Light said.

Starting off the day are two breakfast events. First the Mason’s will hold a pancake breakfast at 7 a.m. and the Kiwanis will be selling breakfast pizza from Domino’s beginning at 7:30 until 11 a.m. on the square.

Also at 7 a.m., those entering in the parade can begin lining up at DMACC. The 2015 edition of the parade is themed “When I was a Kid” and will begin at 9:30 a.m., running approximately until 11 a.m.

“They can reflect on their childhood and think about what the Fourth of July parade was then back in their hometown,” Light said.

The parade will begin at DMACC, head east on First Avenue, turn north at East Fourth Street and then head west on Second Avenue back to DMACC. It will be emceed from two locations with Jamie Grout and Lynette Neubauer at First Avenue West and Third Street and Craig Armstrong and Kurt Konek at the north side of the square.

Prizes will be handed out for best floats with first place receiving $150 chamber bucks, second place receiving $100 chamber bucks and third place receiving $50 chamber bucks.

Following the parade, vendor booths will be set up along with food available from Midtown Café, Newton Noon Kiwanis, VFW Ladies Auxiliary and Newton Lions Club. Entertainment will be provided by MAT Tumbling on the northwest side of the square along with three inflatables including an obstacle course, young child bounce house and a joist challenge.

Plume Hill Carriage Rides will also be giving rides starting on the northwest side of the square and Newton Sky Kings Clarence Davidson Memorial “Fun Fly” will set up at 8:30 a.m. and start flying after the parade.

The Newton Parks Department also has a list of activities beginning in the afternoon and running through the evening until fireworks begin at Agnes Patterson Park. Starting at 1 p.m. a co-ed sand volleyball tournament is planned. The fee for the tournament is $20 and there are limited spots available. To register, sign up at the Newton Park Office at 3000 N. Fourth Ave. E. or find more information on the parks Facebook page.

Park events kick off at 6:30 p.m. with kids activities including inflatables, food vendors and a performance by the 34th Army Band beginning at 7 p.m. Activities will conclude at 8:30 p.m. in preparation for fireworks which will start at dusk.

“Much of Agnes Patterson Park will be closed on July 4 until 6 p.m. for safety reasons. Access to the south parking lot will only be granted to individuals playing in the sand volleyball tournament prior to 6 p.m.,” Administrative Park Superintendent Nathan Unsworth said.

The Newton Police Department will be enforcing parking restrictions the night of the event.

The bike trail entering the park from the northwest will be closed the entire day and due to East 31st Street North (Beltline Road) being closed for construction, all traffic must enter and exit the park from the North Fourth Avenue East entrance. For this reason, there will be no parking allowed along North Fourth Avenue East south of Agnes Patterson Park. The park will open at 6 p.m. for parking and once the parking lots are full, vehicle access to the park will be restricted.

Additional parking will be available in the Berg neighborhood and at Berg Elementary and Middle School which is less than a half of a mile walk from the park. Parking will also be allowed on North 11th Avenue East but no access to the park will be granted from North 11th Avenue East or the adjacent bike trail.

Anyone with questions, or for more information about the event, should contact the Newton Park Office at 641-792-1470.

34th Army Band to perform Saturday

As a special treat, the 34th Army Band will be performing at the Fourth of July celebration beginning at 7 p.m. at Agnes Patterson Park. A part of the Iowa National Guard, the members of the band travel all over the state of Iowa as ambassadors of good will as they perform and entertain.

Originally founded in 1918, it went through several incarnations before being reorganized and re-designated as the 34th Army Band, Iowa Army National Guard on March 1, 1963.
The mission of the band is to provide music through out the spectrum of military operations, to instill in our forces the will to fight and win, foster the support of our citizens and promote our national interests at home and abroad.

Band members are traditional Guardsmen and women who live in all parts of the state and some adjoining states that come from virtually every walk of life. They serve as ambassadors, great musicians and are “unquestionably one of the finest army bands in the land.”

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com