Fourth of July is a great day at the Middleburg Community Center. Many families enjoyed their picnics in the park using the picnic benches and grills. Later in the day the big party started. There was plenty of music and games for children. Several vendors set up around the perimeter of the baseball field. The most popular was Carol Collins with her face painting. She painted the face of any child who presented themselves. "I like doing animal faces on the younger children," she said. "They often become the cat, getting down on all fours." Later on she switched to playing with great, big bubbles and making animal shapes out of balloons. "This is my second event for the day. I go to lots of birthday parties and plenty of other events." Carol learned most of her skills from a friend who is a professional clown.

Several groups took this opportunity to do a little fund raising. The newest kid on the block was the Middleburg Elementary School ice cream and water wagon. This is their first year and it seemed to go well enough to consider doing it again next year. It was fun to see kids swinging on their new swings while eating ice cream. The only thing that was missing was funnel cakes! The American Legion has their biggest raffle on the 4th. Several groups were raising funds by selling the most popular items, things that glow: necklaces, sticks, and finger socks. DJ's provided musical entertainment until the fireworks started. The fireworks display was well worth the wait.