Friday, Jul. 04, 2008
Local hot dog master celebrates Fourth with 3rd straight title
E-Mail
Print
tool name
close"This is the stuff traditions are made of," Laura Badinski said after she waved off Megan and Brandon Badinski.
The entourage lapped the community twice. It was the day Casey had been waiting for, Lori and Eric Bigham said.
"She was asleep this morning, and I whispered in her ear, 'You ready to go to the parade?'" Eric Bigham recalled. "She sat straight up in the bed and asked, 'It's time?'"
Lori Bigham added, "She's loving it. She's been so excited all week. She kept asking, 'Is the parade today?' "
"It's a special occasion," she said. "Patriotism is more important now than ever."
Highlighting patriotism since 1977
A short drive away, friends and family spilled into a street just off Charlotte Avenue for the annual Johnsonville community parade that was born out of boredom in 1977 by the late Big John and Carolyn Johnson.
"It started with banging pots and pans around the neighborhood," co-organizer Laura Fuller said moments before the parade got under way. "My brother and his friends were bored because school was out and they had nothing to do. So my daddy said, 'Let's have a parade.'"
On Friday, parade-goers, including Lisa and Steve Knight, had that same festive spirit.
"This is a special day that we celebrate our freedom," Lisa Knight said. "My husband is a soldier serving in the National Guard. He's been in Iraq for 14 months. This (Independence Day celebration) is important to our family."
Moments later, cars, trucks and bikes took to the street. So did families, some with beloved dogs.
"It's about small communities all over America," Steve Knight said. "It's about freedom."
The newly crowned Johnsonville queen, Ann Louise Kellett, rode atop a cherry red convertible.
Co-organizer Mike Fuller smiled at the passing parade.
"I do it for the children," Fuller said. "That's what it's all about. It's a tradition I hope will never die."
| We want your July 4 photos! |
|---|
@Nyx.CommentBody@