The Rotary Club of the Abingtons will once again provide community entertainment in an outstanding fireworks display to celebrate the birthday of our nation on July 3. It is our 32nd year of delivering this gift to our community.

The Abington Heights Middle School grounds will be transformed to house the event. Rotarians will start setting up early in the morning in preparation for the night. Starting at 6 p.m., vendors will have their tents set up to sell all kinds of picnic foods. Traditional holiday eating like hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, ice cream and lemonade will be enhanced with specialty items from food trucks. Novelty hats and light ropes will be available for purchase at the Rotary tent. The Abington Lions Club has joined this celebration for many years where it offers picnic food for sale and uses the proceeds as a fund raiser for its own good deeds.

Rotarians have been hard at work throughout the winter fundraising for this event under the direction of Rotarian Jim Hambrose, chairman. Solicitation letters were sent out months ago to area businesses and many responded by donating money to defray the cost, the largest of which are the fireworks themselves. Trained personnel must be in place and ready when dark comes to shoot off the rockets and light up the night sky while insuring everyone is safe. Vendors are also contacted by Rotarians, contracts are signed so the food offerings will be in place and ready to serve to the public in an attractive portable venue.

No easy task at the event is parking about 2,000 cars on the fields that surround the Middle School. Our Rotarians turn into parking lot attendants and do their best to insure cars and trucks are parked to give everyone a good view of the fireworks. A donation of $5 will be asked of each vehicle. Last year, many responded with more than that.

Police, firemen and EMT personnel from throughout the Abingtons will be on hand not only for emergency care but also for directing traffic of so many vehicles coming on country roads into one place at the same time.

The event itself brings our community together for fun. We can lie on blankets while gazing with ooohs and ahhhs as the dark night is lit with a profusion of swiftly moving colors, blasting away the cares of the day and marking the light of a new day.

You could pack up your family, take a long ride and go away for the Fourth of July. How much better is it to come to our local celebration, meet old friends, walk through the grounds, eat fun foods, buy and wear a funny hat, slip lighted ropes around your kids’ necks and then lie on your own blanket with your family and enjoy this hometown celebration?

It’s the Fourth on the third. Do come.

Eileen Christian
https://www.theabingtonjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/web1_Eileen-Christian.jpg.optimal.jpgEileen Christian

Rotary of

the Abingtons

Eileen Christian

Reach the Abington Journal newsroom at 570-587-1148 or by email at news@theabingtonjournal.com.