News - Local/State

Thursday, Jul. 05, 2007

TEGA CAY -- Star Wars characters armed with water guns, fire trucks with screaming sirens and a steel drum band playing light summer tunes were part of a parade that attracted hundreds of Tega Cay residents who lined Tega Cay Drive on Wednesday morning.

The flag-waving spectators were there to celebrate the Fourth of July and the 25th birthday of their city.

Connie Iwinski, the longest- termed Tega Cay resident, took a back seat in the parade -- the back seat of a Saab convertible at the head of the parade, that is. She served as grand marshal.

"She has lived here longer than anybody else has, so it just seemed appropriate to recognize that," said Mayor Bob Runde.

Tega Cay is a very different community from the one Iwinski came to 36 years ago. At that time, there were only 13 other families in the area, she said.

"This area was nothing for years and years and years," she said. "We had to go to Rock Hill or Charlotte to get a loaf of bread."

Despite much growth and change, the city has retained its spirit, she said. "The people from day one have always been a caring, volunteer-type community," she said.

As she waved to hundreds of people who have become residents of her city, Iwinski had a wish fulfilled. "I was trying to get that in before I die -- being the grand marshal," she said. "It was quite a surprise."