Fairfield to mark nation's birth Sunday

      The Fairfield Jaycees will be hosting Fairfield's Independence Day Celebration beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday at Waterworks Park.

      The family day will feature food, music and fireworks, said Tony Baker, president of the Fairfield Jaycees.

      The Jaycees' Chuckwagon will begin serving food at 1 p.m., followed by Sheltered Reality's performance from 2-4 p.m.

      "This is a really neat band of 8- to 18-year olds, a drum corps," said Baker.

      Baker said Burlington native Steve Schlosser started Sheltered Reality, but it has since formed groups in Minnesota, Kansas, New York, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and South Dakota.

      The drum corps is a nationally recognized, award-winning ministry that promotes advocacy on behalf of children and teens facing a variety of difficult situations by combining music with an educational message to educate and motivate their audiences to take action.

      Performances are usually free, but the group requires that schools complete a schoolwide project, such as a volunteer drive or a food collection, and group members must volunteer every three months to do something on their own for the cause.

      A late addition to the Fourth of July entertainment line up is the country band Hazard County.

      "They're a brand new country band just getting started," said Baker. "They'll have a jam session of an hour, an hour and a half."

      Children's games are scheduled to get under way at 4 p.m.

      For the complete story, read the June 29 Fairfield Ledger.