Liberty Park is the place to be to celebrate the 24th of July weekend. The Fourth Annual Neighbor Fair will take place Monday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Co-sponsored by US WEST and KLCY 94 FM, the fair is a trade show for non-profit organizations, and many Salt Lake City businesses will be involved, donating proceeds to the non-profit groups.Gary Howard of KLCY 94 FM listed some of the events and activities planned at the park. "There will be food from almost every country - the Greek Orthodox Church will be selling shish-ka-bobs and gyros, the Nicheren Buddhist Church will have Japanese food, and the Basque Club will feature sausage, to name a few," Howard said.
Activities will include a dog washing and grooming booth sponsored by the Humane Society. US WEST will oversee a basketball shoot with basketballs as the prizes. There will be fish ponds and face painting for the kids, and a dragster will be on display from the Bonneville Speedway. A baseball throw will be clocked by radar gun to determine speed, and there will also be a moonwalk baseball throw.
The Children's Museum will sponsor what may the highlight of the fair for the under-12 crowd: The Cookie Lovers Festival. With all proceeds benefiting the Children's Museum, cookies of all varieties have been donated.
Filling the stages at Liberty Park will be the Full Joy Gospel Singers beginning at 11 a.m. followed by the Tempo Timers, The Disgusting Brothers, Blue Plate Special, the 4th Avenue Rock & Roll Band and Joe Muscolino's Big Band.
Eve Mary Verde, community affairs manager for US WEST, said US WEST will showcase local talent on the north stage. Sponsoring the group "Party Line," she said, "We're sure this group will thrill the audience with their explosive song and dance numbers."
Vance Fulkerson, of the Musical Theater Program at the University of Utah, handpicked the performers in "Party Line," scheduled at 6:30 p.m. to present an American Pop Review with music from the 40s through today.
"Party Line" is comprised of Susan Parker from Layton who is a Utah Jazz dancer; Tom and Lisa Chamberlain, Provo, where Lisa was named first runner-up to Miss Provo; Tim Albrecht and Sam Stith, who have performed with Pioneer Theater Company; and Marlene Vaughn, who has television credits including "Rags to Riches" and MTV videos.
The entertainment will also include John Canaan, a vocal artist who recently had a hit single. He will perform songs from his soon-to-be-released album, "Frozen Garden."
To complete the day, a fireworks extravaganza will light the skies of Liberty Park. According to Gary Howard, the display is choreographed to music that will be broadcast by KLCY 94 FM. "Those at Liberty Park will hear the music as the shells explode, but those watching from other places should tune their radios to 94 FM to get the full effect," said Howard. "As they hear the tingles in the music, they'll see the tingles exploding above," he said. Howard said the fireworks display cost $30,000 and has specialty shells that fill the sky over the entire park when they explode.
- Karen Swedin