Fourth of July Jubilee

By Ruth Ann Hensley
Photos by Heidi Juergen Koch
Denton Live Spring/Summer 2005

Hot dogs, apple pie, and a “nuclear polka” band signify the special brand of patriotism celebrated on the Fourth of July in Denton.

The daylong, all-American lineup of festivities at the city’s annual Independence Day shindig features a horseshoe tournament, pie-eating contest, Yankee Doodle Parade, and a live band all saluting the red, white, and blues as only Denton can.
In a city that encourages anyone and everyone to literally “join the parade,” it’s no surprise that volunteers, spectators, and participants alike band together from the early morning Liberty Run to the last twinkling embers of the Kiwanis Fourth of July Fireworks Show to revel in this rich summer tradition.

KIWANIS BUCKET BRIGADE
Hank Dickenson, associate athletic director at the University of North Texas and a Denton Noon Kiwanis Club member, steers the committee in charge of the day’s grand fireworks finale held at Fouts Field on the UNT campus. “It’s a great event for a great community,” says Dickenson. “In our club, there are a lot of older service people who’ve given a lot to our country. This show honors America, and I’m honored to have a small part in that.”

The city of Denton and area sponsors fund the extravagant $20,000 fireworks display, but you’ll also see the Kiwanis Bucket Brigade out and about at the festival collecting donations in support of the Denton Kiwanis Club Children’s Clinic. Established in 1922, the clinic supports routine dental work and medical care for needy children through a network of local physicians. The Fourth of July Jubilee is the Kiwanis’ largest fund-raiser of the year, and the Brigade leaves no picnic blanket unturned.

“Lots of people set up all around town to watch the show and the Bucket Brigade gets out to them, too,” Dickenson explains. “We want to put on a good show, but we need people to remember that the funds raised at the event serve more than 600 kids throughout the year.”

WHAT, AND WHO, YOU’LL SEE THERE
Long before fireworks light up the North Texas sky, runners and walkers gather at dawn’s early light for Denton Parks and Recreation’s annual Liberty Run. Participants check in at 6:30 a.m. at the North Lakes Recreation Center to strut their stuff in a 5K run or a 2K walk that begins at 7:30 a.m.

And the strutting is just getting started. At 8 a.m., Denton’s patriotic populace lines up at the Carroll Building on Carroll Boulevard at Mulberry Street for the city’s annual come-one, come-all Yankee Doodle Parade, which begins around 9 a.m. One of the most unique events of its kind, the parade welcomes anyone and everyone — yes, even you — to join in. “As long as you’re dressed in red, white, and blue or as your favorite patriotic character, you just show up, get in line, and become your own entry,” explains Lorraine McGregor, marketing manager for Denton Parks and Recreation.

An eclectic combination of face-painted flag wavers, bands (from alternative to zydeco-influenced polka), festive floats, and children riding patriotically festooned bikes winds its way around the picturesque square to City Hall, where there’s a flag-raising ceremony immediately following the parade.

At 10 a.m., the jubilee continues at the Denton Civic Center Park with a broad range of post-parade activities, including free carnival-style games, a horseshoe tournament, a Hula-Hoop contest, and a display of children’s arts and crafts. Drinks and snacks are available and a live band plays until noon, when things begin to wind down.

But don’t go home yet! You’ll want to be around at dusk for an enduring Fourth of July favorite — the annual Denton Noon Kiwanis Club Fireworks Show. The club provides a complete evening of free entertainment at Fouts Field and ends the day with a bang (and a Bucket Brigade, of course). Games, live bands, and live crowd scenes captured on the stadium’s giant video screen start around 6:30 p.m. and continue until shortly after 9 p.m., when the pyrotechnic display begins.

INSIDER TIPS
In the afternoon, after the festivities at Civic Center Park finish up and before the fireworks show begins, in-the-know jubileers head for the city’s 2-year-old Water Works Park and its 17 acres of wet and wild fun. (There, four giant water slides, a tubing river, aquatic children’s playground, and two indoor pools in the natatorium create an oasis of cool, refreshing comfort that is in itself a cause for celebration.) For landlubbers, Skate Works, a 15,000-square-foot skate park, is right next door. This professional-grade facility features a series of ramps, platforms, fun boxes, and rails designed to delight and challenge both skateboarders and in-line skaters.

LEND A HAND
For more information on the event and/or how to get involved, contact Denton Parks and Recreation at (940) 349-7275 or log on to dentonparks.com.