The Adrian Optimist Club hosts a celebration of freedom, fun and the 4th

The Adrian Optimist Club hosted its annual 4th of July Celebration. The festivities began on Saturday, July 2, with a jam-packed crowd on Main Street for the parade. Following the parade, the crowd moved to the Optimist building for lunch, bingo, water slides and a good time. In the evening, an estimated crowd of 1500 people attended the first ever Bull Buckout at Ferguson Arena. Fireworks lit up the sky in celebration of America’s birth. The next night (July 3), a crowd gathered for the second night of the bull buckout.

“Thank you so much to the community for making this weekend what it was. We had a great crowd at the parade that followed us to the Club for a delicious lunch. The crowd at the arena for the buckout was simply amazing,” Burris said.

Right: The Adrian Optimists named charter member Tracy Rugg as the 2011 Independence Day Parade Grand Marshal. Tracy was presented with a flag from State Representative and Adrian Optimist Barney Fisher.

Middle: The Adrian Optimist Club introduced a new Independence Day two-day tradition this year - the first ever Bull Buckout. Pictured, a cowboy is bucked off the bull.

Far right: Mother Nature’s light show made the display of fireworks even more awe-inspiring for the crowd.

For full coverage of the Independence Day Celebration, read this week's issue of The Adrian Journal.