By Matthew Keegan
July 7, 2007
When you think of Independence Day,
fireworks, barbecues, parades, and oppressive heat usually
As shown above,
two young ladies dressed up as the Statue of Liberty handed out Miss Liberty
crowns as part of Liberty Tax
Service's commemoration of the day. Clown Willie also got into the act,
setting up his balloon art display directly in front of the Apex Fire
Department and next to a stand of karaoke singer hopefuls who did their best
to take advantage of their three minute attempt at fame.
The red caboose, located next to the train depot and operated by the
Apex Historical Society, was open
for the day. Sadly, two of the windows on the caboose were vandalized,
underscoring the need for the community to help preserve one of the last
cabooses made.
Finally, the day's events concluded with a kids parade as children rode bikes,
pushed scooters, or had their decorated wagons pulled by their parents. Then,
it was off to the pool, picnic, and to the firework celebrations in Cary or
Raleigh concluding the celebration of America's 231st birthday.
Author Information: Matthew C. Keegan is a
freelance writer who makes his home in Cary, North Carolina with his wife
and two children. Matt writes about a variety of topics including
aviation, personal business, automotive, and Christian issues. Please
visit his blog
and portfolio for additional articles.
describes the day.
This year's outdoor festivities in downtown Apex, North Carolina, were certainly
lively, but were held in rather comfortable conditions. Yes,
celebrants welcomed a day with lower humidity and temperatures in the
80s, making this year's celebration a lot more tolerable.
From
9 a.m. to 1 p.m., the downtown business district was sectioned off and
transformed into a huge street fair of sorts. Blow up rides, games, clowns,
balloons, food, and fire engines were just a few of the many different events
available on this festive day. This was the third consecutive year our family
attended Apex's patriotic street festival, an event that our children look
forward to come Independence Day.
Apex's downtown business district was able to
showcase
the many improvements made on North Salem Street and along the
side streets making up the historic district. One of the newest proprietors,
Heather Frazier, owner of KidzArt
an arts studio located on West Chatham Street, had her doors opened to
young bystanders who could enter a contest and make a holiday-related badge. Just
opened, the Holly Springs resident
mentioned
that her home-based business has been around for four years, with the Apex
site being her first commercial location.
Spotted having a whole lot of fun were the
Keenagers,
a civic group of
senior citizens who were conducting a cake walk and holding a
50-50 raffle with the day's proceeds helping local charities.