The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
by Christy Kienast, The Quill
It has been nearly 40 years since the La Harpe annual fireworks show was held at the Lamoine Valley Golf Course. But they will be back this year with a grand entrance. The park district board is hoping to make this an annual event, but that will depend on the response given by the community. They have had great feedback so far, and there appears to be quite a bit of excitement over the return of the fireworks. The fireworks are costly and the district will not be able to fund 100% of the show on an annual basis, so donations will be collected at the event.
The park district was looking for a way to allow the community to celebrate Independence Day without having to travel outside of town, so they thought that starting up the fireworks event again would be a good way to start. The fireworks were purchased from J&M Display Inc. which is located in Yarmouth, Iowa. J&M will be setting off the fireworks for the show with a few members of the local fire department who are employees of J&M.
The fireworks will begin at dusk, however there will be events going on at the park district grounds throughout the day. The Chuck Williams Memorial Softball tournament will begin at 8am. The Love La Harpe group is sponsoring a "penny carnival" on the football field that will begin at 6pm. Several community organizations will have games for the family to play leading up to the fireworks display. The park district, along with the support of R&D Foods, Pepsi and Frito Lay will have BBQ sandwiches, pop, and chips for sale near the football field pressbox, beginning at 6 pm as well.
The community can really help by providing feedback from this year's celebration, suggesting ideas for additional events to be held throughout the day, or by donating funds.
As long as the grounds are dry, cars will be allowed to park on the golf course. Spectators will also be allowed to park in the school, ball field and clubhouse parking lots. A key note to remember is that cars will only be allowed to enter through North E street or on Park Lane. The entrance to the clubhouse will be blocked off. Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy the show.