DEXTER PLANS 4TH OF JULY

DEXTER -- Dexter residents will celebrate Independence Day with a patriotic flair during the seventh annual Celebrate the Fourth event at East City Park.

The Heritage Museum is sponsoring the community event which begins at 8:30 a.m. with the Firecracker 4K race at the Dexter Municipal Airport. Entry fee for the race is $5. Registration begins at 8 a.m. on the day of the race or you can pre-register by calling the Dexter Chamber of Commerce at 624-7458.

Other events for the day include beauty pageants and a patriotic flag ceremony at noon. All past and present military personnel are invited to attend the ceremony.

Youth activities will be held during the afternoon with an annual frog jumping contest to begin at 2:30 p.m. The Turtle 500 begins at 3 p.m. Barnyard and household pets can enter the Lovable Pet contest, but no dangerous, poisonous animals or reptiles are allowed. Awards will be given for all contests. There is no entry fee for the children's contests.

A horseshoe pitching contest begins at 4 p.m. with entry fees of $5 per person. Swimming events will be held at the Dexter Municipal Pool following the afternoon swim session. The Southern Brothers will perform until the start of the fireworks display in the evening.

The pageants begin at 10 a.m. and will break at noon for the flag ceremony. The contest begins with the Firecracker Baby division for boys and girls up to 11 months old; 12 to 23 months old and 24 through 35 months old. Entry fee is $10 per child.

The Little Miss Independence contest is open to girls age 3 to 6 years old. Girls age 7 to 9 can compete in the Junior Miss Liberty division. Entry fee ranges from $15 to $20, respectively, for the division.

The Miss Liberty contest is open to girls age 10 to 12. Entry fee is $20. A Junior Miss July 4th division is open to girls age 13 to 15. The Miss July 4th division is open to girls ages 16 to 18. Registration fee for either division is $20.

Casual wear with a patriotic theme is the suggested theme for the events; formal pageant wear is discouraged. Pre-registration will be held July 1 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Heritage Museum, 11 N. Walnut. Registration on the day of the event will require an additional $5 fee, but concludes at noon. For more information about the pageants, call Gloria Moore at 624-5644 or 624-7458.