The first annual Crab Orchard July Festival

We have had the great privilege of participating in the first annual Crab Orchard July Festival. One of the great burdens on the hearts of Dave and myself is the lack of the spirit of community in Crab Orchard. We both feel that without community spirit the small town will die. if you think of the small towns in America that seem to be surviving this age of suburban sprawl there is always a great sense of community pride. Crab Orchard has been lacking in this. This festival is a step in the right direction. City hall sponsored the event and participation by the local churches and Liberty Market made the day.

Our church set up a booth that we called "The Deep Fried Depot". We sold deep fried pickles, cheese on a stick, deep fried oreos, and deep fried twinkies. Our one concession to health consciousness was that we did use peanut oil for the frying. Church members, remember to ask Drew about the peanut oil. :)

These are a couple of pictures of Mary and Peggy mixing up the batter for the booth.

Liberty Market sponsored the fireworks and I was overwhelmed by the quality. We attended the Crossville fireworks on the 4th (see earlier post) but Crab Orchard's were far superior. The display was well over 20 minutes long. The following video is but a short sampling of the quality that was presented.