Sanderson Chamber of Commerce
4th of July Celebration - 2011
Sanderson and Terrell County really know how to celebrate an old-fashioned
4th of July! The 2011 celebration was typical for this community, and the weather was best in several years.
The weekend began several days early as friends and family arrived for the festivities. The 4th is
usually celebrated on the weekend closest to the calendar date, and this year the activities took place on Saturday, July 2nd.
It all began at 9 a.m. with the annual Sanderson Rodeo Club Team Roping at Downie Arena that went on most of the day.
Next was the annual Fourth of July parade down Oak Street, ending at the Legion Hall, where the American Legion and the Legion
Auxiliary provided a barbecue lunch.
As in years past, participants threw candy to eager youngsters who ran
into the street to fetch their goodies.
At noon, spectators at both events gathered at the Legion Hall for
barbeque lunch plates with the line extendng well into Legion Street for a short period.
Before long, the Courthouse Lawn exploded
in groups of people wandering around from vendor booths and children playing in the inflatable jumper and slides.
For $3, a child could play on the inflatable jumper and water slide for half an hour or all day for $10.
Vendors
sold hair bows, DVDs, clothes, food, snow cones, cotton candy, candy, drinks, jewelry and more.
Project Graduation
provided drinks and snacks and raised an undetermined amount of money for the graduating class of 2012.
Nearby,
in the Community Building, a crowd of about 68 people were on hand to help longtime civic leader Henry Beth Hogg celebrate her 90th
birthday. She was born on July 17, 1921.
There apparently was no Old Timers Hour, which has been sponsored
in years past by the Terrell County Historical Commission, as would-be contestants hung around but dispersed after about 30 minutes.
The society has honored the oldest man and oldest woman present for the event in years past.
The Sanderson
Culture Club’s Ice Cream Social provided homemade flavors of strawberry, chocolate, vanilla honey ice cream and more for $2 a cup.
Tomi Harrell won the contest with her butter pecan recipe. A chocolate chunky by Violita McDonald came in
second.
Korlee Carruthers had the winning youth entry and Taryn Mitchell was second.
Judges were former County
Judge Leo Smith, School Board Vice President Johnnie Couch and former Sanderson resident Peggy Louwein Chamberlin.
The line for ice cream stretched halfway across the Courthouse Lawn.
Fireworks were cancelled this year because
of the drought and wildfires but Justin Treviño of Brady and his “Texas Honky Tonk” band performed on Hackberry Street in front of
the old High School building, starting well before the announced 9 p.m. starting time.
Many children ran about
with glow-in-the-dark bracelets, necklaces and toys in hand.
The band played requested songs as the night
continued and a crowd of people were a constant, dancing on the street.
The band was sponsored by the Sanderson
Chamber of Commerce.
It may not have been a “perfect day” for the annual celebration but most agreed it was
much nicer than many had been in the past.