2015 Fun 4th Recap

Well, another Fun 4th Festival has come and gone and it was one for the books!  I heard from multiple people that this was their favorite year yet and I couldn't agree more.  We had perfect weather, great music, tasty food and it made for a wonderful day.  Every year, I recap my favorite Fun 4th moments, so here are my top five from 2015!

1.  The Tiny House

I was going to say that these are in no particular order, but the Tiny House really was my number one favorite thing this year.  It was so cool to see one of these houses in person and take a tour.  Plus, they have an awesome mission which you can read about here: Tiny House Greensboro.


2.  Rides!!!

I never get a chance to go on any of the rides, so I made a promise to change that this year.  I rode this giant slide, ran through an obstacle course, and won a little pink dog playing darts.  I also met a lot of really cute kids in line for the Jurassic bounce house.  It was all pretty awesome.







3.  Troopers in the rain.

The night of the Block Party a huge rain storm was looming over us the entire time.  Despite that, tons of people came out and stuck with us through the bad weather.  People danced in the rain or pulled out umbrellas and just kept having a good time.  The Part Time Party Time Band jammed through the whole thing.  Thanks for hanging in there with us!

4.  Babies on the beach.

New for 2015, we brought the beach to Fun 4th!  To be honest, I was a bit of a skeptic when I heard we were bringing in dump trucks full of sand, but it turned out to be a great addition to the festival.  The kids playing in the sand with beach balls were adorable.







5.  All new spectacular fireworks.

We upped our fireworks game this year and they didn't disappoint.  I got to watch them from the top of the Greene Street parking deck and even from a distance they were fabulous.  Reports from the amphitheater were that the new show was super cool and I'm jealous I couldn't be there in person.  The pictures don't do them justice!






You can view all of the pictures from this year's Fun 4th on our Flickr page here.  If you took any pictures you'd like to share, send them our way!  We'd love to see them.

Aislinn Spain's 5th Anniversary

High 5 on the 4th in 2012.

I'm feeling a little nostalgic today.  Is #MemoryMonday a thing yet?  If it isn't, I'm making it a thing now.  Every year when we start a new summer season at Grassroots, it's like a fresh slate.  A new year with new classes, new music, new movies, new fun.  But it also brings up a lot of memories.  "Remember last year when..." is a pretty common phrase this time of year as we all look back and think about what we've done before and how we can do things bigger and better this time around.

Cheering on runners at the Freedom Run in 2014.

I realized today that this Fun 4th is going to be my 5th one.  I know this is a small number to many of the awesome people who make Fun 4th possible, some of whom are headed toward their 50th Fun 4th anniversary.  But to me 5 years is a big one.  This started as a simple summer job that was only supposed to last 4 months.  It has turned into over 4 years.  Fun 4th has become as much a part of my life as high school or college were.  It has become it's own era.  It's own chapter in the tell-all I will write when I become a celebrity.

Bring Your Friends and Get in the Picture in 2011.

It hasn't been without challenges.  Most of the best things are that way.  For many years, Fun 4th and I had a love/hate relationship that was more hate than love.  The long hours, the heat, the never having July 4th free to go to the beach, can be brutal.  But as time goes on the stories are told with less resentment and more pride.  The long days become less exhausting and more thrilling.  And over time, this festival has become something that I can't imagine my life without.


I get asked a lot, "How has Fun 4th been going on for so long?" or "Why are all these people still doing this?"  Honestly, I don't really know.  I haven't been around long enough to know and I can't speak for the majority of the people that have kept this thing going.  But, I can speculate that what

Eating all of these donuts in 2013.

keeps everyone coming back is some version of what has kept me going all of these years.  I will never forget my first Fun 4th, looking out into a crowd of hundreds of snare drummers, vibrating with anticipation, ready to attempt breaking a world record.  I know it was hot and loud and I hadn't slept in what felt like days.  I don't remember any of that though.  I remember being happy and excited and alive.  And once you feel that it's a hard thing to let go of.

Of course, all of this applies to you too!  I'm sure all of you can remember your 1st, or 5th, or 20th Fun 4th.  Maybe it was the year your first child was born.  Maybe it was the first year you lived in Greensboro.  Maybe it was the first time your family had ever seen fireworks.  I bet if you think about it hard enough, you can get pulled right back to that time and you will have a happy heart thinking about who you were then and what your life was like and what Fun 4th has meant to you all these years.

For me, my 1st Fun 4th was a time when everything was different.  I had a new husband, was living in a new town, was starting my first real job.  I was both excited and scared.  Everything was decided and everything was unsure all at once.  And I was standing on a stage, hoping not to get stampeded

Dancing at the Block Party in 2014.

by 800 anxious drummers, wondering if there was anything better than this.

Last year I asked you guys to come out and celebrate Fun 4th's 40th anniversary.  I honestly feel like it was one of the best years yet and it wouldn't have happened at all if we hadn't been able to share it with all of you.  This year, I would love if every single one of you came to Fun 4th and shared my 5th anniversary with me.  It's no 40, that's for sure, but I will be celebrating none the less.  If you've never been to Fun 4th, even better.  Come make your first Fun 4th memory this year.  I promise it will be something you'll never forget!

New Location for Fun Fourth Fireworks

The 37th annual Fun Fourth Festival will move its grand finale News & Record Pops Concert and Gate City Fireworks Spectacular to a new home at White Oak Amphitheatre at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex on Monday, July 4 from 7:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. Gates open at 5:30 p.m.

“We are thrilled to be a part of one of the signature events in our community, the Fun Fourth Festival,” said Coliseum managing director Matt Brown. “It will be a memorable evening as this free, family-friendly event will be held for the first time in the beautiful setting of White Oak Amphitheatre. Betty Cone and the staff at Grassroots Productions always do a great job of producing this event and we look forward to it being a highlight of our amphitheatre calendar for years to come.”

White Oak Amphitheatre boasts 2,005 reserved seats and an overall capacity of 7,666. The public is welcome to bring blankets and cushions for lawn seating.  It is estimated that over 60,000 people will be able to view the fireworks within a 3-mile radius of the Coliseum Complex at 1921 West Lee Street.

The event and parking will continue to be free of charge with the support of Fun Fourth Festival sponsors including News & Record, City of Greensboro, Greensboro Coliseum Complex, WFMY News 2, Fairway Outdoor Advertising and other community organizations and businesses.

The News & Record Pops Concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. featuring the Greensboro Philharmonia Orchestra; the theme will be “Stars and Stripes Forever.”  Congressman Howard Coble will give a brief Independence Day Address during the ceremonies at 9:00 p.m.  The Orchestra will play the 1812 Overture as the lights go down in the parking lots.  The Gate City Fireworks Spectacular will brighten the skies from 9:30 – 10:00 p.m.

The Fun Fourth Festival is produced by Grassroots Productions Limited. This local non-profit organization focuses on charitable and educational activities which foster interest in local history and events in Guilford County. More than 100 businesses and the City of Greensboro help sponsor the events. Over 12,000 volunteer hours of assistance are also donated.  An advisory board of local business and civic leaders oversees the planning of each event.

The Fun Fourth Festival has been recognized as a Top 20 Event by the Southeast Tourism Society and as an Outstanding Event by Celebration NC Foundation.

Details:

Monday, July 4
News & Record Pops Concert and Gate City Fireworks Spectacular
NEW LOCATION: White Oak Amphitheatre at Greensboro Coliseum Complex
•    Gates open 5:30 p.m.
•    News & Record Pops Concert w/ Greensboro Philharmonia Orchestra 7:30 – 8:45 p.m.
•    Independence Day Ceremonies 8:50 p.m. – 9:15 p.m.
•    Gate City Fireworks Spectacular 9:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
•    Admission and parking free; no pets, please.
•    Tailgating allowed in parking lot.
•    Food & beverage vendors adjacent to Amphitheatre
•    Blankets and Cushions allowed on lawn
•    No lawn chairs, outside food and beverages in White Oak Amphitheatre.
•    Rain date Tuesday, July 5.
•    Follow cancellation and weather delays via Twitter @Fun4thGSO

Please visit www.FunFourthFestival.org for more information

Common Thread

So, what do Carolina Chocolate Drops, Train, Fantasia and the Avett Brothers all have in common? Yes, many of you would say the 53rd annual Grammy Awards this past weekend....while true, that is not the only common thread among these musicians.

What ties them to each other for Greensboro is the Fun Fourth Festival!  Yep, that's right!

Train -- 2010 Grammy Winner, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Performed at the 1999 Fun Fourth Festival -- Saturday, July  3 @ 5pm. Maybe you were there --  in the Depot parking lot enjoying their music?

Fantasia -- 2010 Grammy Winner, Best Female R & B Vocal Performance. Performed at the 2003 Fun Fourth on the 97.1 Stage with the band Infinity -- Maybe you were there -- on Washington Street enjoying her vocals?

Avett Brothers -- 2011 Grammy Performer -- also a 2003 Fun Fourth Performer on the Backporch of Blandwood!  Maybe you were there -- sitting on the back lawn of Blandwood Mansion enjoying their tunes?

Carolina Chocolate Drops -- 2010 Grammy Winner for Best Traditional Folk Album. In 2008 they performed at the Fun Fourth Festival Heritage Day @ Blandwood.  Maybe you were there, sitting on the front lawn, under the shady trees listening to the Carolina Chocolate Drops?

Which 2011 Fun Fourth Festival band will be the next Grammy winner and where will you be when they are performing at the Fun Fourth Festival?

Our Lives, Our Fortunes, and Our Sacred Honor

The Declaration of Independence is one of the best known documents in American history.  It, along with the Constitution, defines the nature of this country and its words are what we celebrate on the Fourth of July.

One of the best known phrases in the English language is “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness,” which in many ways is what it means to be an American.  On the Fourth of July we celebrate our ability to live as we please.  The freedom we have to watch American Idol every week (even if we don’t admit to it), or to eat peanut butter straight out of the jar.  We can go see the new Justin Bieber movie without judgment and we live in a state where several college rivalries can exist harmoniously (for the most part).  Sometimes we forget what a privilege that is!

The last line of the Declaration of Independence reads, “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”  The founding fathers were willing to give their lives for the protection of our rights, so the least we can do to thank them is really celebrate!

This July, pursue happiness and come to the Fun Fourth Festival.  Between the block party and the parade it shouldn’t be too hard to leave smiling.

There are bands and then there are THE ROGUES

The Fun Fourth Festival is in full planning mode  -- we are talking to bands, food vendors, crafters, bands, amusement providers, volunteers, bands, city staff, vendors, and oh yeah bands!

One of the bands already booked for the 2011 Fun Fourth Festival -- The Rogues.  If the 78th Fraser Pipe Band sat down with the Waterboys, the Chieftains, the Rolling Stones, and the Dave Matthews Band, and then asked some friends from a symphonic orchestra to join them at the table the resulting sound might begin to resemble the ROGUES.




Put it on your calendar -- July 4, 2011.  Its going to be hot!



 

Bells, Bonfires, and Illuminations

As we begin the last month of winter, most of us are grateful that it is the shortest month of the year. Memories of the beautiful snow that fell over the holidays are replaced with dreams of sandy beaches and warm sunshine. It’s time to start thinking about trading snowballs for beach balls and fires in the fireplace for fires in the grill.

With all this summer fun, of course comes the most American of holidays, the Fourth of July. Marked by cookouts, fireworks, and parades, Independence Day is a staple of summer and certainly something to look forward to as the days seem to get colder and colder. When you are bundling up in that winter coat today, why not think to the future of how you are going to spend that happy day in July.

One of our founding fathers, John Adams, wrote about the Fourth of July, “It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance…with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other…”

The Fun Fourth Festival in Greensboro, NC does John Adams proud by bringing over 90,000 people together to celebrate this great day in American history with music, food, and of course, fireworks. Seems like just the thing to think about when you need a warm memory to get you through these last few weeks of winter. So next time you get a cold chill, just think about how you and your friends will be spending this July Fourth eating funnel cake and partying like it’s 1776!

Behind the Scenes - Final Chapter - Fun 4th Hangover

The main ingredient of the Fun 4th week for staff, crew and volunteers is adrenaline. So much happens so quickly and so intensely that we're all just running on incredible bursts of adrenaline. In fact, the adrenaline rush is so intense that you tend to not be able to sleep even when you have the opportunity. So when it's all over, and our bodies stop producing all that adrenaline, we end up with what we call the Fun 4th Hangover. Basically, we crash and we crash hard. Which would be fine -- if we had a week off to recover.

Unfortunately, all that gak and gear we use for Fun 4th gets slammed back into our crazy suite of offices in the Old Greensborough Gateway Building with very little rhyme or reason, and we have to spend the next week sorting it all out, just so we can operate. As much a we'd like to think it's all about Fun 4th, we have other events we have to move on to now. Center City Park, Festival of Lights and Run 4 the Greenway didn't go away while we were shooting off some fireworks and eating funnel cakes.

So here's a peak at what we woke up to on the morning after. We have a few more days of work on it -- and then we're off to the beach! And then -- it is T minus 146 days until Festival of Lights. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, ya'll.....

Betty Cone

I started to write this blog about our fearless leader here at Grassroots Productions, but if you already know Betty Cone, then you'll know that no words I can come up with will be sufficient to describe her. If you don't already know the Queen of Greensboro, find an opportunity to -- you'll never regret it. Betty Cone is one of the most generously committed people you will ever meet -- and one hour of her time is filled with more passion than most people experience in a lifetime. Like I said -- words fall way way short of the amazing complexity that is Betty Cone, but in a universe where a picture is worth a thousand words, this one pretty much sums it up. Congratulations on another fantastic Fun 4th -- thanks for continuing to be our muse!

Behind the Scenes - Part 3 - Expect the Unexpected

We're down to counting hours rather than days now -- hard to believe we're almost ready for you to arrive. As I write, I'm watching our crew load up all the stuff we store in our on-site headquarters at the Cultural Arts Center. After I post this, it'll be time for me to pack up the laptop and head on over myself.

In my last installment, I talked about the details of the Fun 4th that are critical to the success of the event. While "Where Are the Portajohns?" has become our mantra, our Rule #1 has become "Expect the Unexpected." Just a little reminder that we always have to be flexible and and be prepared to think on the fly. You never know what the Fun 4th will bring -- missing folks with Alzheimer's, folks who think that bringing their pet snakes to a festival with 60,000 people is a good idea, lost parents, heat stroke, rogue vendors -- and of course, there's always the possibility of an intense thunderstorm when you least desire it. Like during Festival take-down. When there's no way not to get soaking wet. When you don't have any clothes to change into. Those are the moments when you discover the depth of your creative think abilities -- and the versatility of a Fun 4th t-shirt when you get soaked to the skin.

Yep -- a 3XL Fun 4th t-shirt and a little imagination and you'll be good to go. Expect the Unexpected -- Rule #1 for the Fun 4th, and really, Rule #1 for life, too -- right?

Opening Night and Beyond

Tonight is opening night for the production of 1776! Tickets are available by calling the Carolina Theatre box office 333.2605 or online at carolinatheatre.com. What a great way to celebrate the July 4th weekend. 1776, Block Party, Parade, Street Festival and finish it off with some fireworks on Sunday at Grimsley High School.

We hope to see you at one or more of the events!!

Calm before the Storm

Here it is Monday morning. The office has been quiet for the last two hours as I finish some final paperwork etc. before the day begins. Within the next 45 minutes the storm will unleash.

• The parade committee will meet in order to determine the line-up for all of the parade entries.
• Our crew will come in to start moving and prepping equipment -- on today's list putting together our arrow signs and ticket booths. Loading up our "Units Mobile Storage" with tents, coolers, stools, hoses, extension cords....all of the equipment needed to make the Fourth happen
• Our Interns, Carissa and Stephanie, will be finalizing prizes for Contest Corner and then of course the favorite intern job....cleaning tablecloths.
• Owen & Sandra, our extra helpers this week will be organizing stuff that came back from the race, putting together sponsor kits and all of the other random stuff that is on my list!
• Add in to that the phone that doesn't stop ringing ( there are no more vendor spaces available!!).
• The door bell that keeps going with deliveries and pick-ups and the emails that need to be answered!!
• Welcome to the craziness of Fun Fourth Festival!
  

Zumba Sam

Early in the morning on Saturday, June 26th over 500 walkers and runners came to Downtown Greensboro to participate in the Freedom Run & Walk. Many Thanks to all of the great volunteers and staff that helped put the event together. Race Results are posted here.

Uncle Sam is warming up with the kids for the Tot Trot! Thanks to Dawn Rembisz Lloyd for leading the Zumba warm up for the tots, the adults and Uncle Sam!!

Join us for the other Fun Fourth Festival events you never know what you'll catch Uncle Sam doing!!

Fun 4th Picture of the Day

A new daily series of photos from Fun 4th, past and present.

June 27, 2009, Downtown Greensboro
The start of the 2009 10K Freedom Run

We hope you'll join us tomorrow morning for this year's race! Check out our website for more details!

Behind the Scenes

When you come to any of the Fun 4th Festival events, we hope that each event appears effortless, almost as though it has happened by magic. That's the way all good parties should seem. If you've ever hosted a big party, though, you know that's all an illusion.

We're hosting four parties that we call the Fun 4th Festival, for a total of about 100,000 of our closest friends. There's nothing we like better than to see all your smiling faces each year, enjoying all that these parties have to offer. And we hope it seems to you like we've thrown it all together with ease and grace.

This is our 36th Fun 4th so we've been doing this for awhile. Throughout the years, a few things have changed about the Festival, but one thing that hasn't is our dependence on volunteers and staff that we never see except at Fun 4th time. Basically, we have a skeleton staff that operates our little non-profit throughout the year, but come Fun 4th time, our small suite of offices fills with scores of people that we generally only see once a year. Fun 4th Fun Factoid: it takes about 1,000 volunteers to put on the Fun 4th each year. Behind the Scenes note: there are hundreds of them I never even see -- crazy, right?

I'm always excited to see our returning volunteers and crew, to find out what has happened in their lives over the past year, to hear about new jobs, marriages, babies -- the joys and sorrows that are natural to share with folks you spend an intense week with each year. Our little staff spends so much insulated time together, focused on the minutiae of the Festival, that we sometimes forget the FUN part of Fun 4th. Every year, with the influx of all these great people, there comes a new energy that buoys us into the home stretch. I can't say that all the last minute frustrations go away or that you won't hear the sounds of rampant aggravation in our office, but I will say, this time of year, you will also hear the hum of catching-up conversation and getting-to-know-you stories of new found friends. And laughter, you can hear lots and lots of laughter. Hey, it is FUN 4th, after all -- right?!

For all of you who like a good spoiler to your story or a behind-the-scenes look, though, this one's for you. I'll be posting some pictures of our offices over the next few days of prep time. It kind of looks like someone has puked red, white and blue chaos all over the place right now, but like all good hosts, we'll be ready for you when you get to the Festival. First up -- we're T minus 2 days to the Freedom Run & Walk so here's a look at what we're up to. Holy Moley -- I'd better get back to work!!

Return of the Haiku

Last year we started the Fun Fourth Festival Haiku (俳句) of the Day. Every day we posted a new Haiku....written by staff, by friends, by strangers.

Here is Jack Kerouac reading "American Haiku"



American Haiku (Copyright 1959)

"The American Haiku is not exactly the Japanese Haiku. The Japanese Haiku is strictly disciplined to seventeen syllables but since the language structure is different I don't think American Haikus (short three-line poems intended to be completely packed with Void of Whole) should worry about syllables because American speech is something again...bursting to pop.

Above all, a Haiku must be very simple and free of all poetic trickery and make a little picture and yet be as airy and graceful as a Vivaldi Pastorella."

Jack Kerouac - 1922-1969

We've decided it's time to bring it back! So...join us! Send us your Haiku or two and we'll post them on our blog, on facebook and on twitter. Come on, you know you want to!

Email your Haiku to info@FunFourthFestival.org

It's a Party!

The Fun Fourth Festival Kick-Off Block Party helps to pay for the very needed but very unglamorous items for the Street Festival -- port-a-johns, insurance and trash crew! All things that all good events need. In fact the poster in our office says"Where are the Port-a-Johns?" Because no matter how hard you try...sometimes the port-a-john delivery folks just don't get them in the correct spot.

But I digress, back to the Block Party. This year we will start at 7:15pm with some Classic Beach tunes from The Extraordinaires -- make sure you bring your dancing shoes because it will be Classic Beach from start to finish. At 9:15pm Nantucket will take the stage to keep the party going!



Bring your money for your beer and your raffle tickets! You could win the 50/50 raffle (another way to raise money for the port-a-johns!)

Hey, and while you're at it bring a canned good or two to donate to the Urban Ministry Food Bank. Its all for a good cause -- plus it will be a great time!! Hope to see you there!!
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We Need You!

"Why Volunteer?

Part of being a great volunteer is loving what you're doing. Find something that you're passionate about or something that inspires you, and then find a need in your community."
More here.

Volunteers -- make the events of the Fun Fourth Festival happen!

From the volunteers on the Freedom Run Course who make sure runners are hydrated to the volunteers who portray Uncle Sam to the volunteers with the Greensboro Concert Band and Philharmonia who perform the 1812 Overture with the fireworks -- we are grateful to all of our volunteers!





As you can imagine..we always need more volunteers...selling tickets, helping kids on and off the big slide, marching in the Parade with our Junk Jam Group, feeding the volunteers, collecting cans for Urban Ministry, helping with arts & crafts, beer sales, souvenir sales...you name it we have it all!! If you are interested in becoming a volunteer -- look at this or give us a call 336.274.4595!


We need you!!

March On!!

Every year as we plan the Fun Fourth Festival Parade we try to find a Marching Band, because every parade needs a band!! We haven't, in the past, had much luck with marching bands as the high school and college bands are off for the summer. Over the years we have added Jamestown Pipes and Drums and Old South Dixieland as our Fun Fourth Bands and they are crowd favorites.

This year we are pleased to announce the addition of the Burlington Teen Tour Band -- Canada's Musical Ambassadors Since 1947!! This group of teens and young adults performs all over the world. They have performed in the Tournament of Rose's Parade, 60th Anniversary D-Day in France, St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland, Orange Bowl Parade, World Series in Toronto and in Itabashi, Japan.

This year they will be marching in the Fun Fourth Festival Independence Day Parade. Make sure you come on out to see them.

The parade is Saturday, July 3 and it kicks off the Festival at 9:30 am.

The Burlington Teen Tour Band will also perform on Stage 2 at Festival Park at 1:30pm.


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