Express Yourself!

Uncle Sam wants YOU in the Independence Day Parade!

This year’s Independence Day Parade at the Fun Fourth Festival will start at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, July 3.

The Parade heralds a morning full of free fun as it winds through downtown Greensboro, beginning at Greene and Lindsay Streets, traveling south on Greene, east on Market, north on Church and ending at the Greensboro Children’s Museum.

Uncle Sam and the Guilford Courthouse Fife & Drum Corps will lead floats, clowns, beauty queens, community organizations, dance troupes, military personnel and more.

We want YOU (the community) in the Independence Day Parade!

Interested organizations, bands and individuals are encouraged to participate. Have a church tambourine band? Lawn mower drill teams? Bucket drumming marching sqaud? Girl Scout, Boy Scout, church youth groups and neighborhood organizations are all encouraged to march in the parade and show their patriotic spirit.

Prizes awarded for Most Patriotic and Best in Parade.

Everyone is welcome to march in the parade. There is no charge to participate but you need to submit an approved Parade Application available for download here.

Admission and parking free; no pets or coolers, please.

For pictures from the 2009 Independence Day Parade check out our flickr site.

For full information on the Parade and festival, visit www.funfourthfestival.org

.

Fun Fourth Freedom Run 10K & 2 Mile

Run or walk in honor of our brave military men and women while helping disabled children feel like rock stars during this year's Freedom Run & Walk, part of the Fun Fourth Festival 2010.

The Freedom Run & Walk, a 10K race, the 2-mile fun run and walk, the Tot Trot and Kids ½ K are set for Saturday, June 26, in downtown Greensboro.

A highlight of this year's event is the addition of Miles for Smiles,a group started by local running enthusiast Janelle Robinson that matches runners with special-needs children, so kids can experience participating in a road race. The runners do the actual running – pushing the children in jogging strollers – and the kids will do the smiling.

“It’s great to have “Miles for Smiles” as part of our Freedom Run and Walk”’ says Mebane Ham, Coordinator. “We are looking forward to lots of fun and smiles for all in downtown Greensboro. I encourage community runners to sign up and provide assisted participation for special-needs children – truly, running for fun.”

Anyone interested in participating through Miles for Smiles, please contact Janelle Robinson.

Race Applications are available to download or you can register online.

On the Mark Sports will provide electronic timing finish line services for the 10K Freedom Run only.

Pictures from the 2009 Freedom Run & Walk can be found here.

.

In foul, fetid, fuming, foggy, filthy Philadelphia!

Many years ago, during one of my family's summer vacation road trips, we stopped for a couple days in Philadelphia. I don't remember much about Philly, except that it was very, very hot, and that we ate at the Hard Rock Cafe and I got a shirt. The main reason for our stop there was to visit Independence Hall, and it definitely didn't disappoint. When we looked in the room where the Continental Congress met, I thought, "It looks just the way it's supposed to." When we walked through the lobby, I pointed at the stairs and said to my dad, "Look, that's where Franklin, Jefferson and Adams sang about the egg! And that's where they did the kick line down the stairs!"

In case you were wondering, yes, I'm aware that the Founding Fathers did not sing or dance down stairs (or did they?). But when we were wandering around Independence Hall, as amazing as it was to be in the place where some of the most important events in our nation's history took place, a good chunk of my excitement came from my recognition of the surroundings. I'd never been to Independence Hall before, but I had seen the movie 1776 more times than I can count.



1776 is a musical that tells the story of how the Declaration of Independence came to be written and ratified. The movie adaptation of this Tony Award-winning show is one of my all-time favorites, because it caters to my inner musical theatre nerd as well as my history nerd side.

The Fun Fourth Festival is proud to present 1776 on stage at the Carolina Theatre on July 1st, 2nd and 4th, and I, for one, cannot wait to see it. Directed by JP Swisher, the show will feature some of the finest actors in the Triad, and will certain-LEE (see below...hehe!) be an entertaining and educational experience for everyone.

The Faces of the Fun Fourth Festival

Each year the Fun Fourth Festival is held in downtown Greensboro. This event is produced, planned and organized by Grassroots Productions Limited a non-profit that focuses on community events in Greensboro. Over 1000 volunteers work more than 12,000 each year to make the Festival a success. Volunteers serve on our Advisory Board, help coordinate the entertainment, plan Children's Activities, sell tickets, answer questions, sell coke & water, coordinate the parade and many other jobs.

We thought you might like to meet some of The Faces of the Fun Fourth Festival. We've asked our volunteers to answer some questions and every week we'll feature a different volunteer.

Greensboro -- meet Daintry O'Brien:

Q: How long have you bee a Fun Fourth Volunteer?

DOB: Longer than I haven't

Q: What is your current position with FFF?

DOB: Food Vendor Czar! (Daintry makes sure all of the food vendors are operating within permitted rules -- health, fire and festival guidelines and takes care of any problems or concerns that the vendors may have during the Festival)

Q: What other positions have you filled?

DOB: Festival Director, Stadium Event Coordinator, Red Tape, I'm sure there are others but that's off the top of my head.

Q: Tell us a funny or interesting story of something that happened to you or something you saw at the Fun Fourth Festival.

DOB: Well there was the year the traffic cones for the road races went AWOL. The road crew got the delivery address mixed up. They told us it was delivered to 620 Elm Street. So we started driving down Elm Street Friday night, found over 150 orange traffic cones piled onto the front porch of 620 N. Elm Street!! Or the year the headliner band for the Block Party found the beer supply.....

Q: How did you come to be involved with the Fun Fourth Festival?
DOB: Betty Cone

Q: What is your favorite Fun Fourth food?

DOB: Funnel Cakes or Roasted Corn

Q: What is your favorite Fun Fourth Activity?

DOB: Love the Reenactors!!

Q: What is your favorite piece of patriotic music?

DOB: Stars and Stripes Forever

Q: If you could invite one of our Founding Fathers or Mothers to lunch who would that be and why?

DOB: Dolley Madison

A great big Thank You!!! to Daintry O'Brien for all that she does for the Fun Fourth Festival. When you are at the Festival eating your favorite food raise your funnel cake or roasted corn in a toast to Daintry!!.

Call for Crafters & Skilled Artisans

Call for Crafters and Skilled Artisans for Fun Fourth Festival 2010!

Organizers for this year’s Fun Fourth Festival in downtown Greensboro are accepting applications for crafters, skilled artisans and dealers of vintage-era items for their Craftscene and Vintage Village on Saturday, July 3. More than 100,000 people are expected at this year’s festival.

All items for sale in Craftscene must be of original design and handcrafted. Design and artistic excellence are considered for paintings, graphics, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, photography and mixed media. Items must be acceptable for family viewing.

Vintage Village sellers will display items for sale such as vintage clothing, furniture, textiles, house wares, knick-knacks and the like from a variety of eras.

Interested parties are encouraged to submit an application for participation in Fun Fourth Street Festival 2010. The application form is available for download.

The deadline for submitting applications for Craftscene and Vintage Village is May 15, 2010.

***Please note: Marketplace (Commercial Vending) and Food vendors are by invitation only.***

PS. Because I can't say it enough --- In 2010 the Parade & Street Festival are on Saturday, July 3!!!
.