Published: June 30, 2009 07:20 am      

Fourth of July festivities planned

By Janet Jacobs

Daily Sun



Dawson will have four parade marshals Saturday in its Independence Day parade: Ann and Dan Griffin and Bobbie and Norman Summers.

The two couples were chosen for their many contributions to the community, according to Mayor Linda Bryant.

“We wanted to recognize couples who have really been here for this town,” she said.

The Griffins have been married for more than 50 years, and have two daughters, who are both Dawson educators. Dan used to own a grocery store in Dawson, but then went into home renovation and custom farming. Ann ran a custom monogramming service from her home, but about 17 years ago, they moved to Corsicana, following Dan’s business of fixing up old houses.

Less than a year ago, they built their dream home in Dawson, less than a block from the First Baptist Church, and close to their two daughters. They’re still close to their friends in Corsicana, where Ann quilts and Dan plays dominos, but they’re home now.

“Dawson’s been good to us,” Ann said.

Norman Summers is a former mayor of Dawson, and served as a postman in the town for years, before becoming a postmaster in Purdon. He called the football games for more than 40 years. Bobbie Summers was a nurse, first in Corsicana, then in Dawson schools. Married for 61 years, they raised two children in Dawson.

The Summers moved from Dallas, and the friendliness and community spirit in Dawson was refreshing, Norman said.

“We loved it when we came here. The kids were going to a smaller school, I announced the ball games for 40 years. We loved it,” he said.

In addition to their fondness for the city, they also have one other thing in common — all four were founding members of the Dawson Saddle Club. Norman and Dan are both veterans, and Norman has also spent more than half a century in the Lions Club and Masons.

The Dawson Independence Day Parade will start at 10 a.m. and trail through downtown, with all four of the grand marshals waving from a trailer beneath a canopy. After the parade, there will be a downtown celebration featuring vendors, a barbecue cook-off, tractor pull and car show. Billy Roy Mitcham and the Heart of the Night band will provide music for a street dance Saturday night. Residents are urged to bring their own lawn chairs.

“We’re all really honored that they asked us to be grand marshals,” Ann Griffin said.

Other local Independence Day festivities are as follows:

Corsicana’s Freedom Festival, annually hosted by the Corsicana Rotary Club at the I.O.O.F. Park, will begin at 6 p.m. with a performance by local band New Life. The park will also have bounce houses for kids, a clown doing balloon animals, and a concession stand. The big fireworks display will begin around 9 p.m.

Lone Star Pyrotechnics will again put on the fireworks display, as it has for the last several years, explained Rotarian Mark Jordan.

“Our main sponsors this year are the Community Foundation and the Annie Lee Robbins Charitable Trust,” Jordan said.

The event will be free to the public. Additional parking will be available at Tiger Stadium.

Blooming Grove Fourth of July parade will begin at 11 a.m., and floats, horses, car and other vehicles are welcomed to join in as the parade winds through downtown Blooming Grove.

The Kerens Chamber of Commerce Fourth of July celebration will begin around 6:30 p.m. on the brick streets. The event will be include an old-fashioned Fourth of July picnic, with homemade ice cream, watermelon, hot dogs, dominoes, bingo and a fireworks show.

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Janet Jacobs may be reached via e-mail at jacobs@corsicanadailysun.com