Maybe it’s the state of the economy, maybe it’s the tumultuous political goings on, or maybe I’m just getting older, but I’m having a hard time maintaining my sense of enthusiasm and patriotism this Independence day. But regardless of my personal misgivings, our community is preparing to go ahead with area celebrations. There are all the usual fourth, of July celebrations this year, Lindsey Field, Father Heart Ministries between Lindale and Van, the list is a long and familiar one. I’m not going to spend this article writing about all of them again this year. Instead I thought I’d play the publicist and help put the word out about an area musician I know, who’s performing in Edom over the fourth.
For those like me, who find themselves a bit disillusioned this year, an evening listening to local artist Paul Ruark may be just the encouragement needed to remind us of the reason we celebrate our national birthday. The show will be held just outside the dance hall in Edom, just past The Shed Café. (If my readers are unfamiliar with The Shed I invite them to read the proceeding article at http://www.tylertxdirectory.com/9529/the-shed-cafe-in-edom/ ). Paul’s set starts about six p.m. and goes until around ten. For those who have other plans for the fourth, but would like to attend a show, he’ll be playing at the Purple Pig, where he is a regular, on Friday night, starting and ending around the same times. For more info, search for “Rusty” Paul Ruark on Facebook, and hit “Like.”
There are quite a number of Independence Day festivities in the Tyler, East Texas area this year. Of course there will be the traditional fireworks display at Lindsey Field. In fact from what I read, quite a big crowd is anticipated this year. Throughout the day, there will be an assortment of activities and local charities and organizations will be sponsoring events. The cost is ten dollars per car load.
Living Alternatives in Lindale will also be holding its annual fireworks display again this year. This is a great day that’s really much more than just a fireworks show. There are all sorts of events and activities for the kids, including swimming, bounce houses, music and a variety of food vendors on hand. There is also a fishing tournament throughout the day. This is definitely one of my preferred Fourth of July events. Admission is free however a fifteen dollar donation is suggested. For more info see the following page: http://la4th.com/ .
For those looking for activities throughout the holiday weekend there are a couple of very cool educational things I thought I’d plug. The Historic Aviation Memorial Museum (HAMM) will be holding a static air show display on Saturday, the second of July, the day before the Thunder over Cedar Creek Air Show. The museum holds this event every year as the pilots fly in to perform the following day. HAMM has made arraignments for their historic aircraft to be on display to the public. There is a moderate fee to get up close and personal with the aircraft, (I believe it was five dollars last year), but viewing from the fence line is obviously free. To see my review of last year’s static air show, click on the following link: http://www.tylertxdirectory.com/3027/celebrating-the-4th-in-tyler-tx/ .
For Tylerites interested in going to an actual air show this year the “Wings Over Tyler Air Show,” will be on Sunday the third. Also at the HAMM terminal (the old Pounds field location for native East Texans), this event seems like kind of a long time coming for our area. It will feature a variety of performances and aircraft, and promises to bring out a lot of visitors. The entrance fee is twenty five dollars a car load, or five dollars per person. For more info on this event visit the following web sites: http://www.tylertxdirectory.com/9031/live-from-the-field-2/ ,http://www.wingsovertylerairshow.com/ .There are certainly other great celebrations in our area this year and a quick Google search will yield more results. But these are some of my personal favorites, and the ones in which I choose to participate. Happy Independence Day East Texas! And don’t forget to enjoy the grill this weekend!
There’s a new event happening in Tyler this summer and it has the potential to draw a lot of attendees. It doesn’t happen until July 3rd but it’s the kind of thing I don’t often find out about until the morning of, so I thought this time I’d get out in front of this one. Of course I’m alluding to the “Wing’s Over Tyler Air Show.
The last few years the Historical Aviation Memorial Museum (HAMM) has sponsored what they call a static air show, which is essentially vintage and current military aircraft on display for the public. As fascinating as those shows were, this year’s show is complete with actual aeronautical and acrobatic performances by an assortment of pilots and aircraft. Now I’ve had the opportunity to attend some fairly major air shows in Houston and New Orleans, and I don’t expect this show to be on the scale of those larger events. However, it promises to be a tremendous occasion for our area. It’s also wonderfully timed coming on the weekend of the fourth of July. I find this to be a far more interesting and educational way to celebrate the nation’s independence, than simply pilling in the back of a truck and heading up to Lindsey Field to take in the fireworks. Not that there’s anything wrong with fireworks, but they do tend to lose their luster as I get older. I know my son and I are already looking forward to attending the air show.
There are a number of area groups sponsoring the show, including: the City of Tyler, the Chamber of Commerce, the Historical Aviation Memorial Museum, the Tyler Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Tyler Jet Center. There are also opportunities for other businesses to get in on the sponsorships. Gates will open at nine, but performances won’t actually kickoff until one. For more information on this great new event, visit the Wings Over Tyler, webpage at http://www.wingsovertylerairshow.com
Maybe it’s the state of the economy, maybe it’s the tumultuous political goings on, or maybe I’m just getting older, but I’m having a hard time maintaining my sense of enthusiasm and patriotism this Independence day. But regardless of my personal misgivings, our community is preparing to go ahead with area celebrations. There are all the usual fourth, of July celebrations this year, Lindsey Field, Father Heart Ministries between Lindale and Van, the list is a long and familiar one. I’m not going to spend this article writing about all of them again this year. Instead I thought I’d play the publicist and help put the word out about an area musician I know, who’s performing in Edom over the fourth.
There are quite a number of Independence Day festivities in the Tyler, East Texas area this year. Of course there will be the traditional fireworks display at Lindsey Field. In fact from what I read, quite a big crowd is anticipated this year. Throughout the day, there will be an assortment of activities and local charities and organizations will be sponsoring events. The cost is ten dollars per car load.
For those looking for activities throughout the holiday weekend there are a couple of very cool educational things I thought I’d plug. The Historic Aviation Memorial Museum (HAMM) will be holding a static air show display on Saturday, the second of July, the day before the Thunder over Cedar Creek Air Show. The museum holds this event every year as the pilots fly in to perform the following day. HAMM has made arraignments for their historic aircraft to be on display to the public. There is a moderate fee to get up close and personal with the aircraft, (I believe it was five dollars last year), but viewing from the fence line is obviously free. To see my review of last year’s static air show, click on the following link: 
For Tylerites interested in going to an actual air show this year the “Wings Over Tyler Air Show,” will be on Sunday the third. Also at the HAMM terminal (the old Pounds field location for native East Texans), this event seems like kind of a long time coming for our area. It will feature a variety of performances and aircraft, and promises to bring out a lot of visitors. The entrance fee is twenty five dollars a car load, or five dollars per person. For more info on this event visit the following web sites: