EAST PALESTINE Parks director holds out hope for good weather for July Fourth

The director said about 8,000 people attend the park's July Fourth activities.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
EAST PALESTINE -- With almost three weeks to go before the July Fourth celebration, everything at the city park is just perfect, except the weather.
Parks director Grant Springer is taking it all in stride, however. He knows contending with the weather is part of the job.
Basketball and tennis courts have been rebuilt, and the swimming pool is open and operating trouble-free, he said. Getting the pool ready for the season was questionable, he said. There is a strict schedule in painting and filling and heating the pool to open it on time for the Memorial Day weekend. The day the pool had to be painted was the only day in April that it didn't rain.
"I knew the good weather wouldn't last," Springer said. "Last year the weather was great all year. It was the first year the park was self-sufficient."
Springer is keeping his fingers crossed that the weather will improve, because hot weather draws people to the park. He'd like to see the new basketball courts and tennis courts be used for league and tournament play as well as individual recreation.
He envisions three-on-three basketball tournaments and city league tennis teams, and even tennis camps with instruction by tennis professionals.
July Fourth events
On July Fourth, the park activities and Zambelli fireworks draw about 8,000 people to the park. The population of East Palestine is about 5,000. Springer expects the crowd will be larger this year because of Ohio's bicentennial and the swell in patriotism because of the Iraq war.
Besides basketball and tennis and swimming, there will be games and a pet parade and bike parade for kids. The high school alumni association provides breakfast 8-11 a.m. at the community center. Springer said the group plans to prepare more food this year, because last year the food was all sold in an hour.
There will also be a horse-chip bingo contest at 5 p.m., and a basketball free-throw contest at 5:15 p.m.
The day concludes with the community's traditional light parade, followed by fireworks. In the light parade, kids of all ages ride around the park on bikes and just about anything else on wheels strung with colored lights.
Just before the fireworks begin, a trio of skydivers is to appear. Springer said the park board agreed to spend a little extra money on fireworks this year to beef up the grand finale.