MAYOR'S MESSAGE

Craig A. Stough 6/25/2008

"Fourth of July Events Planned"

On July 4, 1776 John Adams, signer of the newly written Declaration of Independence and future second president of the United States, publicly predicted that July 4^th would be celebrated with festivals and parades, athletic competitions, oratory and fireworks forevermore. From what was a very dangerous and uncertain future 232 years ago, his words were truly prophetic.

His message is still clear here in Sylvania. Independence Day, 2008 is nearly upon us, and once again the City of Sylvania has community events scheduled to honor America and celebrate our freedom.

First and foremost will be our Independence Day Celebration the evening of July 3^rd at Centennial Terrace. Starting at 7:00 p.m. there will be entertainment, live music and food. And once it gets dark, we will have one of the biggest and best fireworks display in Northwest Ohio. Thousands of people will be on hand to enjoy them.

Each year, Sylvania City Councilman Keith Haddad has organized a spectacular fireworks show, and he promises this year will be no exception. The fireworks can also be viewed very well from Pacesetter Park. Our thanks to Sylvania Township and Coca-Cola for helping to sponsor these fireworks along with the City of Sylvania.

Thank you also to the many sponsors and volunteers for this very special event, and also to Ken Katifias of Sylvania Recreation for his organization's hard work and planning. Proceeds from this event go towards the continuing restoration of Centennial Terrace, a wonderful asset for the entire community.

Together with the many holiday baseball and softball games already planned, another event on the Fourth of July will be the sixteenth annual international vintage base ball game with the Actives of Woodstock, Ontario, our Sister City. Each year the Sylvania Great Black Swamp Frogs Base Ball Club travels north to Woodstock for a Canada Day game on July 1^st, and then returns here for the Independence Day game on July 4^th. This year's game on July 4^th will be at Secor Metropark at 1:00 p.m.

I always say Sylvania is a great place to live, and our Independence Day celebrations are yet another reason why. And there is always more, with the Jamie Farr LPGA tournament held the next week. The best women golfers in the world will be visiting Sylvania along with thousands of fans and media representatives from around the world. ESPN2 will be broadcasting this year's tournament. The Sylvania Area Chamber of Commerce will add to the week with "Taking it to the Streets" 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. on the evening of Thursday, July 10^th, a downtown Main Street celebration with food, live entertainment, car show and children's activities.

I wish you all a safe and happy summer – Sylvania is a great place to enjoy it.