A red, white and blue Greenville

July 03, 2009 12:57 am

— The City of Greenville will be celebrating Independence Day Saturday with parades, watermelon, music and fireworks.
— The annual Buena Vista/Chapman neighborhood parade kicks things off at 9 a.m. Saturday in the 6300 block of Buena Vista. The parade will proceed to Royal Lane, turn on Chapman Drive and return to Buena Vista. Refreshments will be served following the parade.
— The 13th annual Park Street parade begins at 10 a.m., followed by a patriotic program and free watermelon at Kavanaugh United Methodist Church. More information about the parade can be found at www.parkst.org.
— The City of Greenville and Edward Jones Investments are hosting the 2009 Patriotic Picnic at the Greenville SportsPark, 3601 Leo Hackney Boulevard. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. with “Bad Moon Rising” the first act on the live music stage at 6 p.m., “Holloway” follows at 7:15 p.m. and headliner Texas Country music artist Johnny Cooper takes the stage at 8:30 p.m., then the fireworks display will begin at dark followed by an encore set from Johnny Cooper. Approximately 1500 parking spaces are available at the SportsPark, Greenville High School (Lark Street entrance), Greenville High School football stadium (Lion’s Lair entrance) and Lowe’s (3122 I-30). The Connection will provide free shuttle service to the SportsPark from the Football Stadium parking lot and the Lowe’s parking lot. Due to the popularity of the event, traffic congestion is expected and visitors are advised to arrive early for the best access to available parking.
The use of fireworks is illegal inside the City of Greenville, as well as inside all of the incorporated cities within Hunt County. However, their use is permitted in the unincorporated areas.
Most government offices will be closed for the holiday today.
All Hunt County and City of Greenville offices are closed, with the exception of the Ja-Lu Park Municipal Swimming Pool and the W. Walworth Harrison Public Library which will be open regular hours today. The library will be closed Saturday.
The offices of Senior Center Resources and Public Transit (formerly the Hunt County Committee on Aging/The Connection) are closed today, as are the administration offices of the Greenville Independent School District.
Independent Environmental Services Incorporated (IESI) will not be picking up trash or recyclables Saturday and residential customers will receive their service on the next regularly scheduled day, Wednesday, July 8.
Most banks will also be closed Saturday for the federal holiday.
The business offices of the Herald-Banner will also be closed today.