Fourth of July Celebration in Pleasanton

Community members are invited to join in what has become a tradition for celebrating the birth of our nation at a FREE family-friendly concert and picnic in Lions Wayside Park from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 4.  About 100 volunteers are involved in producing the celebration.

“Celebrating Freedom and its Evolutions since the Revolution” features a free concert by Pleasanton Community Concert Band, under the direction of Bob Williams.  Besides familiar, stirring patriotic music, this year the band will feature music commemorating Gettysburg in 1863, during the Civil War.  Reading and commentary of the Gettysburg Address will include speaker Ann Collins and vocalist Ward Belding as Uncle Sam.

Also included will be a tribute to those who have served in the military, past and present, and their families as the band plays the anthems of each branch of the service.  American Legion Post 238 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6298 will provide the color guard.  Boy Scout Troop 908 will lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Scouts also assist with set-up for the program, which attracts hundreds of people of all ages.

Audience members provide their own chairs or blankets, and they are encouraged to wear red, white, and blue. The audience can sing along to “Happy Birthday” (to the United States of America) and other patriotic songs. Mayor Jerry Thorne will provide the welcome as the program begins.

A popular feature is “A Dog & a Drink for a Dollar” – the hot-dog lunch sold by the Lions Club.  Lions also provide hand-held American flags for the first several hundred members of the audience to arrive.  Free temporary tattoos of patriotic themes will be offered.  Children are given wooden tokens to trade for soft ice-cream cones at Meadowlark Dairy, adjacent to the park, and adults are provided with colorful paper fans to help beat the heat. Several shade canopies will be in place, in addition to the shade provided by trees in the park.

Event sponsor is Heritage Bank of Commerce.  Music sponsor is ACCUSPLIT, makers of the only certified accurate pedometers and stopwatches.  Food sponsor is Lions Club, with assistance from Raley’s Market.

This year’s recipients of the Ed Kinney Community patriot Award, Christine Steiner and Harry Miller, will be introduced.  The award is named in honor of the first master of ceremonies for the event, former mayor Ed Kinney.  This year’s master of ceremonies will be Les Duman (filling in for Ken McDonald, who is recovering from surgery).

Founded in 1998 by W.Ron Sutton, the all-volunteer event is a fun way to “make sure that we remember Fourth of July for more than fireworks and barbecues,” he noted. “We celebrate our shared heritage – and still have time for other activities in the evening.”

One fun tradition for returning audience members is looking for their photos from last year in the mosaic of pictures on the printed program, taken by photographer and graphic designer Lisa Lorentz.