Goltry kicks off festivities on Friday, Cherokee and Carmen follow
In just weeks, hundreds of people will flock into Cherokee for the big 4th of July celebration and Cherokee Main Street invites all to attend.
The festivities begin at the City Park with horseshoes. The registration is at 7 p.m. and the tournament begins at 8 p.m.
Lunch will be served from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Main Street will be serving pulled pork sandwiches, baked beans, cole slaw and water, with all the proceeds to go to Cherokee Main Street Fourth of July from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. for $7. Hot dogs and the fixings will be sold for $5.
From 12 p.m. until 12:45 p.m. the Tiny Tot Revue registration will be ongoing.
At 1 p.m. the Flag Presentation by American Legion Post 33, prayer by First Christian Church Pastor Luke Heim and Tiny Tot Revue will begin.
The Tiny Tot Revue is for boys and girls aged birth through five-years-old.
There will also be icees sponsored by Krystal Kolb, fingerprint kits by the Cherokee Police Department, face painting by Georgia Whitesides and funnel cakes and cotton candy by the Rainbow Girls.
Also going on from 1-3 p.m. will be train rides sponsored by Bellamy and Co.
At 1:30 p.m. the Main Street Scavenger Hunt, sponsored by HNI Lawn Care and Grand Avenue Ice Hole; egg toss and sack races, sponsored by CRC; water balloon toss, sponsored by Girl Scouts; and the Hulu hoop and corn hole contests sponsored by Cherokee Main Street.
The Cherokee pool will be open from 1-5 p.m.
The evening festivities’ location will be the Cherokee High School Sports Complex.
Evening events will begin at 6:30 p.m. with the registration for the turtle races. The race will begin at 8 p.m.
The turtles must be Terrapins only, no water or mud turtles.
After the turtle races, the raffle for prizes donated by local merchants will take place.
Tickets are for sale at $1 each or $5 for six tickets. You can purchase tickets from Gateway First Bank, Smith Drug, ACB Bank, BancCentral and Cherokee Floral, then on July 4 at the City Park starting at 11 a.m. and at the Cherokee Sports Complex in the evening.
The Cherokee Lions Club and Rotary Club will be serving homemade ice cream and have a full concession stand.
The Cherokee Lions Club will be hosting their annual raffle with tickets being sold before the fourth and during the afternoon and evening portion of the celebration.
They are giving away two Taurus 380 automatics and one Ruger 380 automatic.
The tickets are $5 each or $20 for five tickets. Proceeds from the sales will be used to finance worthwhile Lions Club projects.
For more information contact David Collins at 580-748-0797, Kenneth Failes at 580-596-6168, Jim Buck at 580-541-0107, Tim Hague at 580-541-7005 or any Lions Club Member.
The drawing will be happening during the evening portion and you don’t have to be present to win.
The invocation and the National Anthem by Drake Williams will prepare the public for the fireworks to follow.
All times are approximate.
Goltry Celebration
Town of Goltry will be celebrating the 4th of July on Thursday, July 2.
The town will be serving a meal and homemade ice cream at 6:30 p.m. in the Goltry Community Building by donation.
There will be entertainment in the park during the evening.
Oklahoma Blood Institute will be there that evening for blood donations.
All donations will go towards the park.
Firework show will begin at dark.
Carmen
The Carmen Fire Department will hold the annual 5th of July celebration this Monday at the Carmen Park. The Carmen Park provides room for families to social distance and still have a great time. Entrance is by donation.
The Bloodmobile will accept blood donations from 3-9. Call Enid Oklahoma Blood Institute 580-233-9323 to schedule an appointment time. Every donor can receive a free COVID-19 test and each donor receives a free t-shirt.
The Carmen pool will be available for swimming from 1-7 that day. There will also be kid’s games, a bounce house for youth, kids raffles, and plenty of outdoor activities.
BOSS Music from Alva will provide musical entertainment throughout the evening. There will be food trucks and vendors available.
The fire department will not be serving a meal this year due to the COVID-19. They will have popcorn and drinks available in the new pavilion. The fire department will have raffle tickets available for a Creed Ruger American 6.5 caliber rifle.
The DOC Honor Guard will have the opening flag ceremony around 10 with the fireworks. Bring lawn chairs and bug spray and join the evening entertainment.
Because of the road construction through Carmen, it is advised to be aware of alternative routes north through Lambert. South route is to turn at the railroad crossing 1 mile south of the highway 8 and 45 intersection, go 2 miles west and 1 mile north.
Submit Pictures
If the public would like to submit their own pictures from Independence Day, they can do so by emailing them to news@cherokeenewspaper.com. The deadline to submit pictures is 5 p.m. July 5.
Some of the guidelines to submit pictures are: high resolution, appropriate for print, name of the photographer and the individuals pictured and the location where the pictures were taken. The publication of pictures is left up to the discretion of the newspaper staff.
Any questions call the newspaper office at 580-596-3344.
Rules and safety
Each July 4th, thousands of people, most often children and teens, are injured while using consumer fireworks. Despite the dangers of fireworks, few people understand the associated risks – devastating burns, other injuries, fires and even death.
Fireworks are allowed to be discharged in Cherokee.
According to city ordinance:
• Fireworks may only be discharged from 9 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. on July 2, 3 and 4.
• No fireworks shall be discharged by any person under the age of 16 unless such person is being directly supervised by their parent or guardian.
• The chief of the fire department or any police officer shall seize, take, remove or cause to be removed any fireworks, at the expense of the owner if any violations occur.
According to state statute:
• “Fireworks” are any composition or device for the purpose of producing a visible or an audible effect by combustion, explosion, deflagration or detonation.
• Since July 5, 1981 the sale, gift, distribution or use of skyrockets with sticks as defined by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission is hereby prohibited within the state of Oklahoma.
This prohibition shall include, but is not limited to, explosive devices commonly known as “bottlerockets” or “stickrockets.”
Distribution, gift or sale from Oklahoma to a person outside the state of Oklahoma shall not be considered occurring within the state of Oklahoma.
• It is unlawful to sell, offer for sale, distribute, possess, ignite or otherwise use aerial luminaries, commonly known as “sky lanterns”, “Hawaii lanterns”, “Kongming Lanterns”, “Chinese lanterns”, “sky candles”, “fire balloons” or “flying luminaries.” Igniting aerial luminaries in violation of this act shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed $100.
Fireworks by the numbers
Fireworks start an average of 18,500 fires per year, including 1,300 structure fires, 300 vehicle fires and 16,900 outside and other fires.
These fires caused an average of three deaths, 40 civilian injuries, and an average of $43 million in direct property damage.
In 2015, U.S. hospital emergency rooms treated an estimated 11,900 people for fireworks related injuries; 51 percent of those injuries were to the extremities and 41 percent were to the head.
Children younger than 15 years of age accounted for one-quarter (26 percent) of the estimated 2015 injuries. These injury estimates were obtained or derived from the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s 2015 Fireworks Annual Report by Yongling Tu.
Consumer fireworks caused nearly 9,000 injuries in 2012
Fireworks may represent a hallmark of July 4th celebrations, but consumer fireworks are extremely dangerous, causing thousands of injuries and fires each year.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) 2012 Fireworks Annual Report, U.S. hospital emergency rooms saw an estimated 8,700 people for fireworks-related injuries in 2012. In the month around July 4th, almost three out of five (57 percent) of the fireworks injuries were burns, while almost one-fifth (18 percent) were contusions or lacerations.
Sparklers, fountains and novelties alone accounted for one-quarter (25 percent) of the emergency room fireworks injuries.
Young people pay a particularly high price for fireworks. During the same July period, the risk of injury was highest among those ages 15-24, followed by children under 10. Three out of ten people (30 percent) injured by fireworks were under the age of 15. Males accounted for three-quarters (74 percent) of the injuries overall.
On Independence Day in a typical year, fireworks account for two out of five of all reported U.S. fires, more than any other cause of fire. In 2011, fireworks caused an estimated 17,800 reported fires resulting in 40 civilian injuries and $32 million in direct property damage. The vast majority of injuries occur without a fire starting.
“Knowing the harm fireworks inflict each year, particularly on young people, we urge everyone to leave fireworks to the professionals, who are trained to safely put on spectacular displays. It is by far the safest way to enjoy them,” said Carli.
A big part of Fourth of July celebrations, of course, are family cookouts. NFPA has released the following grill and outdoor safety tips.
The warm balmy nights, food cooking on the grill and friends and family spending quality time together in the backyard or around the pool create wonderful memories that last a lifetime. But, hosting outdoor events also means there’s an increased risk of home fires.
Fortunately, following some simple safety tips and guidelines can help ensure you and your guests stay safe. Consider the following when you host your next outdoor event:
• Have an adult present at all times when a portable fireplace is burning.
• Use sturdy candle holders that won’t tip over easily.
• Keep anything that can burn, as well as children and pets, at least three feet away from open flames.
• Use battery-operated flameless candles and solar-powered patio (tiki) torches in place of an open flame. Flameless candles come in all colors, shapes and sizes, and many are scented. Flameless candles look and feel like the real ones, and add a beautiful soft glow to any outdoor event.