George celebrates 4th with cherry pie
Georgette members and helpers dish up cherry pie at the 2012 July 4 celebration in George. Cherry pie, and a lot of activities, will be back in George for the 2014 celebration Friday.
GEORGE - Cherry pie on the 4th of July will be among the headliners at the annual celebration in George, along with a parade, children's games, a car show, ringing the freedom bell and fireworks.
The day begins with a community breakfast, served from 7 to 11 a.m. at the George Community Hall. The pie makers will get together at 7 a.m. at the pavilion in the middle of the park to start building the cherry pie. It's a single cherry pie and a big one - the pan is eight feet square, and every year it's one of the largest in the world. But it takes a while to fill an eight-foot-square pan with cherries, so the pie actually isn't served until later in the day.
Registration begins at 7 a.m. for the Cherry Bomb Run, with the race itself taking off at 8:30 a.m. The booths in the "open air market" in the park also open at 9 a.m.
Registration and lineup for the July 4 parade begins at 9 a.m. in the parking lot at the old Martha Inn. The parade itself starts at 10 a.m. Participants parade down one side of the main street, turn around and parade back down the other side.
A ceremony featuring the ringing of the Freedom Bell and the raising of the American flag begins at 11 a.m. in the park. The local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter color guard will raise the flag; Shiree Ybarra will sing the National Anthem.
That will be followed by a speech by state Senator Janéa Holmquist.
The "Stars, Bars and Classic Cars" car show will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the park. There will be games for children, with booths open from about 11:15 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Entertainment is scheduled on the park stage throughout the afternoon, from 11:30 a.m. until dusk.
The cherry pie will be served at noon. The pie is so famous it poses for pictures for about 15 minutes before the first cut - there's a ladder and everything, for good overhead shots. An 8-foot pie requires a lot of cherries, so there's a requested $1 donation, $1.50 for pie with ice cream.
The fireworks go off at dusk. They can be viewed from the park.