VOL. 11 NO. 49
THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2007
50 cents
Seaford will hold Riverfest July 13 and 14. See page 2 for all the details. CITIZENS OPPOSE LIQUOR STORE Public hearing to be held on application to open package store. Page 4 BLOCK OPENS - For 67th year, area farm market is selling melons, tomatoes and beans. Page 9 SEED SPITTING CHAMPS - Area mayors gather to show off their skills. See page 18 for pictures, results.
Above, Desiree Williams, 14, Laurel, shows off her hulahooping skills during the Side By Side clown show, part of Laurel’s July 4th festival. Desiree was one of two girls to win
DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN? The Letters page features a lookback at days gone by. Page 52 TOP STUDENTS - See pages 54 - 58 for names of students who made the honor roll. CHAMPIONSHIP GAME - The Laurel Major League all-star softball team advances to the championship game of the District III tournament with three wins last week. Page 45 SWIM TEAMS - A pair of local swim teams meets last week in Seaford. See photos starting on page 46.
INSIDE THE STAR © Business . . . . . . . . .6 Bulletin Board . . . .28 Church . . . . . . . . . .24 Classifieds . . . . . . .35 Education . . . . . . . .59 Entertainment . . . .32 Frank Calio . . . . . .34 Gourmet . . . . . . . . .12 Health . . . . . . . . . . .14 Letters . . . . . . . . . .52 Lynn Parks . . . . . . .21 Meet Volunteers . . .8 Mike Barton . . . . . .61
Movies . . . . . . . . . . .7 Obituaries . . . . . . .26 On the Record . . . .22 Opinion . . . . . . . . .62 Pat Murphy . . . . . .31 People . . . . . . . . . .19 Police . . . . . . . . . . .43 Snapshots . . . . . . .60 Socials . . . . . . . . . .61 Sports . . . . . . . . . . .45 Tides . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Todd Crofford . . . .25 Weather . . . . . . . . .63
the contest to see who could keep multiple hulahoops going. Photo by Lynn R. Parks. On right, fireworks explode behind the Ferris wheel Wednesday night. The fireworks show was the grand finale for Laurel’s annual celebration. Photo by Cassie Richardson.
A cool July 4th festival With evening parade and entertainment in shady Janosik Park, annual event escapes typical heat By Lynn R. Parks On a warm July 4th afternoon, Gwen and Bill Messenger, Blades, sat in the shade of a tree, enjoying the sounds of the classic rock group The Funsters. Each was dressed in red, white and blue; each thought that the Janosik Park on the banks of Broad Creek was a great place for Laurel’s annual Independence Day celebration. “This is a beautiful park,” Gwen said. “This is just like you know it had to be years ago, when all small towns had their own July 4th celebration. “And look at how many people are wearing red, white and blue,” she added, waving her hand in the direc-
tion of the crowd. “This is a really nice place to have the festival,” added her husband, a native of Ohio. “This is how July 4th was when I was a kid, with all the small towns celebrating.” For the first time in its 13-year history, the Laurel Fourth of July celebration was held on the shaded banks of Broad Creek. Food and craft vendors were set up along Laureltowne Street, from Central Avenue to Laureltowne, and the bandstand was set up in Janosik Park. “I love it here,” said Stacy Tripi, Seaford, who was lying on a blanket under a tree on the creek bank. “It is very relaxing.”
Tripi and her boyfriend, Ron Wheeler, also of Seaford, planned to spend the whole day in Laurel. They had just finished a pizza and wanted to get some kind of dessert — “I have to have my sugar,” Tripi said — before the evening’s fireworks. They had also spent the evening before in Laurel, watching the traditional Red, White and Blue Parade and enjoying the sounds of rock band Route 1. “I hope we can do this every year,” Wheeler said. Al Turchin, president of the Laurel Chamber of Commerce, which sponsored the event, said Tuesday that the Continued on page 4