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WINONA LAKE - Independence Day festivities begin early this year in Winona Lake, as the town gears up for "The Winona Lake Great Fourth of July Celebration."
A three-hour concert on Thursday, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., will kick off the event. The concert, which will be in downtown Winona Lake on Park Avenue, will feature the Time Travelers, who specialize in classic rock and pop hits from the 1960s on, and Heavy Lewis, a local blues/harmonica band.
Friday's schedule starts at 8 a.m., with the "Firecracker 5000," a 5K run/walk sponsored by the Winona Lake Parks Department. Park and Chestnut streets will be closed from 8 to 9 a.m. during the run.
A tennis tournament for kids ages 6-18 starts at 9 a.m., and at noon Park Avenue between the Winona Hotel and Rodeheaver Auditorium will close to street traffic until after the fireworks show.
Also at noon the Winona Lake Volunteer Fire Department will host this year's "Waterball" at lakeside on Park Avenue, and from 1 to 5 p.m. kids' games, including face painting, a diaper derby, a tug-of-war, balloon toss and pie-eating contest, are scheduled.
Other afternoon activities include historical tours of the Beyer and Billy Sunday homes, a classic and antique car cruise-in, and a family bicycle ride for all ages through the neighborhoods of historic Winona Lake.
Jennifer Ortega, a local artist, will be available to sign the commemorative poster created for this event on which her original artwork is featured.
From noon to 7 p.m. food and drink vendors will be set up along the street.
The Fourth of July evening will begin with a Strawberry Shortcake Social from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. along Park Avenue at lakeside. From 6 to 6:45 p.m. the Lake City Skiers will give a short exhibition on Winona Lake, and at 7 p.m. Randy Maxson will re-enact Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death" speech at the Hillside Amphitheater below the Beyer home.
To prepare for the fireworks, the Indiana Professional Orchestra Ensemble, led by James Chandler, will perform the patriotic music of John Philip Sousa at lakeside from 7:30 p.m. until the fireworks begin at approximately 9 p.m.
