July 1, 2009

Arnegard to celebrate the Fourth of July

By Tina Foreman
Farmer Staff Writer

The Fourth of July - food, friends, family, fun and of course, fireworks. Where can you get it all in one place? The Arnegard Fourth of July Celebration.
Festivities will kick off at 7:30 a.m. with Breakfast in the Park until 10 a.m. If you sleep a little late for breakfast you can stop by the Ladies Aid pie booth for pie beginning at 10 a.m.
Following breakfast will be a parade down Main Street beginning at 11 a.m. Anyone interested in entering a float, vintage car, bicycle or whatever you can think of to decorate is welcome to join the parade lineup and registration at the Old School Bed & Breakfast at 10 a.m.
After you sort through your parade candy and gather everyone up you’ll want to head over to Nelson Park for the Beef Barbecue lunch and Ice Cream Social. Buttons for the Beef Barbecue can be purchased prior to July 4 at participating businesses or on July 4 during and immediately following the parade for $2.
Ice Cream has been donated by McKenzie County Bank and this year’s beef has been donated by Roger Sanders, his family and his sisters, Jean Ekern of St. Paul, Minn. and Louise Rasmussen of Hanckock, Minn. and their families in honor of their parents, Edith and Edwin Sanders and their uncle Albert Sanders.
“My parents donated beef for Old Settlers years ago and we wanted to do the same for them,” says Roger Sanders. “We decided to do it for the Arnegard Fourth of July because the three of us kids went to school in Arnegard and my dad was always active in the Arnegard community.”
Albert Sanders homesteaded in the Rawson area in 1906 and Edwin purchased a relinquishment in the Arnegard area in 1908, where both continued to farm and live.
“This seems like a fitting way to honor my dad and uncle because they were always volunteering and both were very active members of the community,” adds Roger. 
While you let your lunch settle and visit with friends and family the kids can enjoy games provided by Fun on the Run Entertainment.
For the youngest attendees the Crayola 3 in 1 offers  150 square feet of bouncing fun, and the fun house is the original house of bounce with room for 10 bouncers at a time up to age 12. For the more creative kids, the 31-foot obstacle course will be a great way to show off your skills and race your friends after you’ve found your way through the obstacle course you’ll want to jump on over to Money Motion for some entertaining monkey action. All kids games will run from Noon to 4 p.m. and are free of charge.
Afternoon festivities will begin at 1 p.m. with a Veterans Recognition Ceremony followed by the Sanders Family Program.
Farmers young and old can show off their stuff at the Tractor Pull from 2 to 4 p.m.
As things begin to settle down and the wait for dark begins, everyone will enjoy Jeff Nelson’s music and Karaoke from 4 to 8 p.m at Nelson Park. It’s your chance to put on a brave face and make your singing debut or just sit back and watch as everyone else takes a try.
At 5:30 the Arnegard Lions will keep the good food coming with Burgers in the Park.
As the day turns to night, you’ll want to settle into your lawn chair or blanket for the Fireworks Display at dusk.
The Arnegard Booster Club has sponsored a great display of fireworks in the past, and this year is sure to be great once again. 
For more information on the Arnegard Fourth of July Celebration check out the schedule in this week’s paper.

WATFORD CITY WEATHER