Fourth of July enthusiasts need to look no further than Lane County’s own Light of Liberty Celebration in Springfield’s Island Park.
Tuesday’s festivities include the kick-off for the Great Rotary Duck Race, a concert series that includes a performance from the nine-time Grammy awardwinning group Asleep at the Wheel and one of Lane County’s best fireworks displays.
The Light of Liberty Celebration is presented by the Springfield Utility Board and gives visitors a great opportunity to celebrate Independence Day, providing fun for the whole family.
“Island Park is a beautiful hidden jewel of a park. It’s very close to Eugene; it’s very close to the university,” Springfield Utility Board’s Meredith Clark said. “There’s lots of room in the park to hang out, play Frisbee. A lot of the action is at the north end of the park but there’s lots of room in the south end of the park to play around before the entertainment starts.”
The celebration starts at 4:30 p.m. with a kick-off for this year’s Great Rotary Duck Race, which will begin in October. The Duck Race kick-off will provide information about this years’ race, now in its 19th year, and will mark the start of ticket sales, Clark said. Two Rotary Ducks will then be floated down the river, with a banner between them, while a Springfield fire truck will shoot a million gallon water arc over them. Clark promised that this will be quite a sight and encourages people to keep their eyes open for this event.
Headlining the Light of Liberty Celebration is Texas-swing band Asleep at the Wheel, which has opened people’s ears to country music by combining it with swing. Asleep at the Wheel has hits, including “Miles and Miles of Texas,” “Get Your Kicks on Route 66,” and “Boogie Back to Texas.”
The concert series also includes a performance by the Oregon Bach Festival Youth Choral Academy, which features top high school choral singers from around the country, and the local kid band Plan B, which is “known for their performances at the Saturday Market,” according to a press release.
Another local band performing will be Mystery Train, composed of local business leaders who play classic rock ‘n’ roll songs, including many one-hit wonders, according to a press release.
“But they’re not going to give up their day jobs; they just do it for charity!” Clark said.
The Light of Liberty Celebration is also a great way to help out in the community. All the proceeds from Tuesday’s celebration go directly to Project Share, which provides financial assistance to elderly and low-income customers of the Springfield Utility Board, Clark said.
“So if they get in trouble and can’t pay their bills, we have an emergency fund that helps them,” Clark said.
The twenty-minute firework display begins at 10 p.m. and is provided by Homeland Fireworks. The fireworks will be fired over the Willamette River, which will provide a beautiful reflection, Clark said.
In contrast to other firework displays offered around Lane County, the Light of Liberty’s fireworks will be set to music.
“Which I think is pretty unusual, I’m not sure of any other show in town that actually does that,” Clark said. Tickets for the Light of Liberty Celebration can be purchased in advance at Jerry’s Home Improvement and at the Springfield Utility Board’s main office. $5.00 gets you through the gates. Children ages 5 years and younger are free, as are veterans and families of deployed military with ID. Gates open at 4 p.m.
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Bursting with INDEPENDENCE
Daily Emerald
June 28, 2006
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