[475]FIREWORKS, PATRIOTIC MUSIC, FAMILY ACTIVITIES AT MTSU JULY 4th

FIREWORKS, PATRIOTIC MUSIC, FAMILY ACTIVITIES AT MTSU JULY 4th

June 9, 2008
CONTACT: Marlane Sewell, Parks and Rec, 615-893-2141
Tom Tozer, MTSU, 615-898-2919

MURFREESBORO—Rutherford County’s “Celebration Under the Stars” will once again be held on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University—and admission to the family-oriented event will be free of charge. Festivities will kick off at 5 p.m., Friday, July 4, on the university’s intramural field, the traditional site for the countywide event.
From 5 to 8 p.m., there will be games and activities for the kids, including face painting, games, and arts ‘n’ crafts projects. Also, there will be inflatable playgrounds, sack races, egg tosses, along with prizes and promotional giveaways. Glow-in-the-dark necklaces will be on sale.
The Col. Hardy Murfree Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution again will provide free American flags for everyone. The chapter has provided flags for this celebration for the last 10 years.
Wal-Mart at Old Fort Parkway is donating the “Celebration Under the Stars” birthday cakes.
Rep. John Hood, program emcee, will extend a formal welcome at 7:50 p.m., followed by remarks from local dignitaries and sponsor representatives. This is Hood’s 11th year serving as emcee for this event.
At 8:00 p.m., following the presentation of colors by the Murfreesboro Fire Department’s Color Guard and singing of the national anthem by MTSU Associate Professor H. Stephen Smith, the Murfreesboro Symphony Orchestra will present a program of traditional patriotic tunes, rousing Sousa marches, and inspirational classics. Dr. Raphael Bundage, professor in the MTSU School of Music, will conduct.
The fireworks display will light up the sky at 9:00 p.m.


Caution, parents!

Because there is construction on campus, some temporary fencing will be erected as a barrier in order to keep people from approaching construction zones. Nevertheless, we urge parents to keep a close eye on their youngsters during the celebration and away from those construction areas.


Entering campus: Traffic patterns will be different due to campus construction

٠Guests should enter the campus on Faulkinberry Drive off Middle Tennessee Boulevard—Champions Way off Greenland Drive—Alumni Drive off Rutherford Boulevard—or north from East Main Street onto one of the connecting roadways.
٠All other entrances on the east side of campus along Rutherford Boulevard will be closed.
٠Parking will not be permitted on either side of Rutherford Boulevard.
٠An on-campus section of Blue Raider Drive south of the Tennessee Livestock Center down to the Recreation Center will be closed to traffic.
٠Parking will not be permitted in any lots on the four corners of MTSU Boulevard and Blue Raider Drive. This includes lots adjacent to Scarlett Commons and the softball field.
٠The lots adjacent to the Recreation Center will be closed.
٠The best parking on campus will be north (toward Greenland ) and west (toward Middle Tennessee Boulevard) of the celebration site and also in the large lot on the east side of Rutherford Boulevard. Parking will also be available in the Tennessee Livestock Center lot.
ADA parking will be available by entering campus from the south side heading north on Blue Raider Drive near the Recreation Center. By showing your permit, a staff person will direct you to the appropriate lot.
٠MTSU police and university personnel will be on duty to help people locate parking areas.

Exiting campus: Guests are asked to exit the way they entered

٠Rutherford Boulevard will be closed temporarily during the fireworks display and re-opened as soon as the area has been cleared.
٠At the end of the evening, guests are asked to exit by the route they used to get to the celebration. All lots on the north (Greenland Drive) side of MTSU Boulevard will be directed to exit campus via Champion Way onto Greenland Drive or via Faulkinberry Drive to Middle Tennessee Blvd.
٠All lots on the south (East Main Street) side of MTSU Boulevard will be directed to exit campus via the new Alumni Drive onto Rutherford Boulevard or via Womack Lane and Baird Lane onto East Main Street.

Please make it a safe celebration for everyone

For safety purposes, organizers would like to remind everyone that pets, alcoholic beverages, cooking grills and personal fireworks or sparklers are not permitted on the celebration site. In addition, banners and signs from outside groups, other than the evening’s sponsors, will not be allowed on the grounds. Families are encouraged, however, to bring picnic baskets, lawn chairs, and blankets for picnicking on the grass.
Sodehxo, food vendor for the event, will sell soft drinks, pizza, hotdogs, and traditional holiday snacks and desserts.
Sponsors of the event include MTSU, The Daily News Journal, the City of Murfreesboro, Murfreeboro Parks and Recreation, Rutherford County Government, and Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce.
Supporters of the symphony include the City of Murfreesboro, SunTrust Bank, the Tennessee Arts Commission, and Aquatic Critter, and General Mills.
A special “Celebration Under the Stars” publication will be inserted in the July 3 DNJ, providing a schedule of activities and a map of the celebration site.
For more information about the celebration, call Marlane Sewell, steering committee chair, at 615-893-2141 or Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation at 890-5333 or MTSU News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.

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