MENNO TO CELEBRATE 4TH THURSDAY (WEATHER PERMITTING)

Full slate of family-friendly activities starts with 11 a.m. parade

There will be no shortage of activates for young and old alike when Menno throws another big Independence Day party on Thursday, July 4. While there is a good chance of rain, as of Wednesday morning the activities were on as planned.

Things will actually get started late Wednesday night, July 3 will an ally dance just off Fifth Street bewteen the three bars. The dance will take place from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. and will feature live music from the 70s and 80s.

Then on Thursday, the celebration will once again feature one of the biggest July 4 parades in the area beginning with a kiddie parade at 10:50 a.m. followed by the Main Event at 11 a.m. This year’s theme is “A Salute to Freedom’s Heroes” and the processional will start on the south end of Fifth Street and make its way north.

The Menno FFA will then host a barbecue following the parade and guests are invited to enjoy a classic summertime feast inside the city-school auditorium. Hungry guests are asked to come through the doors that lead into the lobby just outside the main high school gymnasium.

The festivities will continue at Pioneer Acres on the north side of Menno, where families can take part in a host of activities. Antiques, collectables and a show-and-shine car and tractor display will all be set up, and free rides will be available on the carousel, Ferris wheel and barrel train. Hours will be from 1 to 3 p.m.

Then at 4 p.m., the Post 152 79ers will host Parkston Post 194 in American Legion action on the baseball diamond at the Lily Pad, with a variety of concessions — including cold beer — for sale. Then, at 7:30 p.m., the Menno Mad Frogs will welcome the rival Freeman Blacksox to the field in South Central League amateur action. That game will be followed by fireworks courtesy of the Menno Athletic Association.