Entertainment supplement
to The Battalion
Thursday, July 2, 1981
Local festivities honor 4th of July
By Bernie Fette
Battalion Staff
Independence Day will be observed in
the area with events including barbe
cues, concerts, dances and fireworks dis
plays to celebrate the nation's 205th
birthday.
The College Station Lions Club will
sponsor a celebration at Bee Creek Park
in College Station beginning at 1 p.m.
Saturday, featuring games and swim
ming. At 8:00, the Community Singers
and the Carter Creek Bluegrass Band will
hold a concert in the park.
At 5:00 the Lions will sponsor games
and beginning at dark, they will present
a fireworks display at the A&M Consoli
dated football stadium. Some 10,000 peo
ple are expected for the event.
Fireworks will be provided by the City
of College Station.
Concession stands will open at 5:30
p m and cold drinks, popcorn, snow
cones and hot dogs will be available.
Featured games will include sack
races, three-legged races and a tug-of-
war The College Station Fire Depart
ment will be on hand with fire hoses to
cool off participants in the games.
Celebration Chairman Jim Ross said
the crowd may be larger if area residents
choose to save gas and celebrate the 4th
at home.
"An entire evening of activities is plan
ned for the whole family," Ross said.
"Families can come play, eat, be enter
tained by music and watch the area's
only fireworks display. It's a great way to
relive the traditional July 4th holiday
spirit.
"The local Lions Club has been work
ing hard to make this the best July 4th
celebration yet," Ross said. "And since
the club has been sponsoring this event
for more than a decade, that is saying
quite a lot."
A parade forpierly scheduled for the
weekend has been cancelled, according
to Mary Brennan of the Information and
Hospitality Center of the Brazos Valley.
The Texas Hall of Fame and The Cow
boy in Bryan will sponsor a chili cook-off
along with contests and a dance Sunday,
July 5. Gates open at noon and the $5
admission charge includes free beer for
the day.
The afternoon activities for the event
include a drinking contest, wet T-shirt
contest, and a beauty contest. Dancing
under the stars begins at 6 p.m. with
music by the Tommy Connors Band on
the 2,400-foot outdoor dance floor.
No celebrations have been scheduled
by the city of Bryan for the weekend.
In Heame, a barbecue cook-off spon
sored by the Heame Jaycees will be held
Friday night at the Firemen's Hall on
Farm Road 485. Judging for the event will
begin at 4:00 Saturday. Entry fee for the
cook-off is $20 for one entry and $25 for
two.
An Arts and Crafts fair with a flea mar
ket will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday, also at the Firemen's Hall. A
fireworks display will begin at dark.
After the fireworks display, there will
be a dance at the Firemen's Hall with live
music by the Lone Star Drifters from Au
stin.
On the Texas A&M campus, the Intra
mural Recreational Sports Department
and The MSC Council and Directorate
will sponsor a picnic at the Wofford Cain
Pool. Live music and games will be fea
tured from noon until 8p.m. along with
25c hot dogs and free Pepsi.
Pat Fierro, assistant intramural dire
ctor, said games will be sponsored for
children in several age groups and there
will be co-rec innertube water polo for
adults.
From 2 to 4:30 p.m., music will be pro
vided by Don Barbier, a Texas A&M stu
dent and from 6 to 8 p.m., Ken Ferdeen
and Jim Burgess of the MSC Basment
Committee will perform.
The Texas A&M diving team will pre
sent an exhibition at 4 p.m.
A&M students with ID cards and pool
passes will be admitted to the picnic free.
Admission for guests will be $1 and for
children under 12, 50c.
Those planning their own July 4th
celebration should remember that city
ordinances in both Bryan and College
Station prohibit the possession and use
of fireworks within the city limits.
Fireworks, alcohol, cars don’t mix
Weekend fun is dangerous
Two elements of the 4th of
July weekend which can't be
ignored are beer and fireworks.
For many people, that's what
the 4th is all about. (Actually, it s
a celebration of this country s in
dependence, but not many peo
ple realize that.)
Unfortunately, both of these
things happen to be safety
hazards. And who wants to ruin
a good weekend with un
pleasant details like that?
Since fireworks are illegal
within the city limits, let's
assume that you are prepared to
set them off outside the city
limits and proceed from there.
The Texas Society to Prevent
Blindness reminds everyone
that fireworks are not toys.
R.E. Margo, M.D., state
medical chairman of the society,
said, "Fireworks are dangerous
projectibles that injure
thousands of Americans each
year." Last year, 9,400 people
Were treated in emergency
rooms for fireworks-related in
juries, 1,700 of which were eye
injuries. This doesn't include
people treated in doctors' offices
or those admitted to the hos
pital.
"The sale of fireworks is illeg
al in many Texas cities," Margo
said, "but efforts to extend the
law statewide have been stalled.
The 1981 Legislature passed a
bill which limits the amount of
explosives allowed in fireworks,
but does not restrict their sale.
So, fireworks are still available
in Texas. And contrary to any
sales pitches you hear, there are
no "safe" firecrackers.
All the warnings and laws in
the world will not stop a fire
works addict from going on
twice-a-year binges (New Year's
and the Fourth), so here are
some safety tips from the Texas
Agricultural Extension Service:
— The sparkler, considered
the safest firework, bums at a
high temperature which can
easily ignite clothing. Be careful
when handling them, and keep
a bucket of water handy for
emergencies and to douse any
fireworks that don't go off.
— Light fireworks outdoors in
an open area away from houses
and flammable materials.
— Before using fireworks,
read and follow all warning in
structions printed on the label.
— Don't handle or try to re
light malfunctioning fireworks.
Soak them in water and throw
them away.
— Be sure people are out of
range before lighting fireworks.
— Never ignite fireworks in a
container, especially a glass or
metal container.
— Store fireworks in a dry.
cool place. Check the label for
special storage instructions.
If you feel drawn by the allure
of the sparkly displays, attend a
licensed public show. They're a
lot safer, and more spectacular
than anything you can buy at a
just-out-of-the-city-limits stand.
And if something goes
wrong, there's somebody else to
blame.
Now, to the other area of 4th
of July safety: highway safety.
Bob Draper, manager of driv
er improvement programs for
the Texas Safety Association,
said that 52 people died in traffic
accidents last year over the 4th
of July.
Draper offers a basic mle for
weekend driving: don't mix
alcohol and driving. This bit of
advice probably won't change
your mind if drinking and driv
ing are in your weekend plans,
but here are a few more tips.
Check your car — tires, belt,
hoses, oil — before leaving on a
long trip. Stop once each hour to
rest and keep yourself alert.
Observe the basic safety rules,
like buckling up for safety and
driving the speed limit. (55 miles
per hour, in case you've for
gotten.)
Watch out for the other guy,
just in case he's not watching
out for you.