What a great Fourth of July weekend for Mt. Vernon, beginning with a summer arts and crafts fair at 9 a.m. on the Town Beach to benefit the Mt. Vernon Community Center.

There was a Boat Parade on Flying Pond at 11 a.m. All the boats were brightly decorated to celebrate the 4th. In the evening there was music at the Community Center, followed by a super spectacular display of fire works over Mt. Vernon village.

Sunday, July 5th we awoke to the Mt. Vernon Fire Department getting ready for their Annual Chicken-BBQ. It can’t get any better than eating a huge barbecued chicken held at the Town Beach in wonderful downtown Mt. Vernon.

Up and coming community events:

The Greater Minnehonk Lake Association Annual Meeting 2015 will be held on Sunday, July 12th at 10 a.m., at the Mt. Vernon Community Center. There will be a great speaker, and a relevant topic. All are welcome.

Flying Pond Improvement Association F.P.I.A. Annual Meeting will be held Saturday, July 18th, 7 p.m. at Vienna Grange Hall.

The Vienna Historical Society Annual Plays will be held at the Vienna Union Hall. The Plays “Nellie Belle’s Hotel” written by Beverly Wight Smith and “Something Hilarious” written by Cheryl Herr-Rains will play on Thursday, July 23rd and Friday, July 24th at 7 p.m., and on Saturday, July 5th, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The Annual Paddle Trek, Saturday, Aug. 1 2015, will extend from Mt. Vernon Village to Wayne Village. Please join them for all or just part of their annual paddle from Mt. Vernon to Wayne. See the watershed from a new perspective as you travel by canoe and kayak through many of the lakes that form the “30 Mile River.”

Through this once-a-year opportunity, participants will be permitted to travel a continuous route, thanks to the generous landowners that grant us permission to portage across their property for this event. For more information or to join the group please visit www.30mileriver.org

In the stillness of the night after everyone left on the 4th, I could hear the call of the Loons in the night and the fire flies softly flickering about. I am proud to be an American. I thank all who paid the ultimate price so that I could sit and listen to the call of the Loons. God bless America!