Happy Birthday, America!

Hey there!

Well, we hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July yesterday, we know Saint Jo sure did. Though we are not exactly what people would call a "thriving metropolis," Saint Jo has always known how to celebrate the birth of our great nation. For those of you who weren't able to join us yesterday, here's a run down of everything that happened:

The festivities kicked off early with the 5th Annual Old Jo's Firecracker 5K beginning at 8 a.m. With such great weather for it, there isn't any wonder why we had the biggest turnout yet with approximately 80 people. In fact, so many people participated this year that we completely ran out of t-shirts! Talk about a wonderful problem! For those of you interested in joining the fun next year, it costs $15 per person if you register early or $20 if you sign up the day of. All proceeds from the race go towards community projects sponsored by the Saint Jo Chamber of Commerce.

Moving right on along, the Saint Jo Youth League held a 3 on 3 Sand Volleyball Tournament as well as a Horseshoe Pitch at the Boggess Park. Both events began at 9 a.m. and were a ton of fun to participate in, we're sure, though we were all still at the 5K. The entry fees were $45 per volleyball team and $10 per horseshoe pitcher and the winners of each contest were awarded cash prizes.

To help fight off the Texas heat, folks are invited to take part in the annual Ice Cream Freeze-Off, also held at the Boggess Park. Sponsored by the Saint Jo Chamber of Commerce and, this year, hosted by the Saint Jo Lions Club, the Freeze-Off is a great way for people to showcase their ingenuity and culinary skill in a delicious and kid-friendly way. After the tasting, which began at 8 p.m., everyone is asked to vote for their favorite flavor. Just before the fireworks the prizes are awarded for places first through third, with the awards being paid to the winner's favorite Montague County youth organization. First place this year went to the classic Homemade Vanilla, though we heard that the Cinnamon flavor was pretty delicious as well.

Rounding out the days festivities was the fireworks show put on by the Saint Jo Volunteer Fire Department. This year's show was collectively called the best yet, and we're sure it will only continue to get better with such a turnout as there was this year.

There is just nothing better than sitting out, surrounded by friends and neighbors, as you munch on a cool piece of watermelon, listen to some live music and watch as the night sky is lit with a dazzling display of whizzing and popping sparklers. It is times like those that we all count our blessings to be a part of this wonderful community and, on an even larger scale, of this great nation we all call home.
We hope to see you all at next year's celebrations!

Until next time,

The Davis and Blevins Gallery Team


For more information:

Saint Jo Chamber of Commerce- www.saintjochamber.com
Old Jo's Firecracker 5K- Howard Davies, Race Chairman (214) 908-9055
Saint Jo Youth League- (940) 230- 5981
Ice Cream Freeze-Off - Fran Alderman franalderman@yahoo.com

For any other information please visit www.saintjochamber.com