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July 5, 2009

Norman Day Celebration goes on, despite the rain

By Julianna Parker Jones

Revelers at the 2009 Norman Day Celebration Saturday were ready to kick back and have some fun, and they wouldn't let a little thing like rain stop them.

"I'll just get wet," Barran Mosley said when asked what he'd do if it started pouring rain at Reaves Park. The youngster was eating a slice of watermelon bigger than his own head Saturday evening as the first drops fell. He said no matter what the weather did he planned to stay until he saw the fireworks, scheduled to go off at 9:45 p.m.

"That's all I woke up for," he said.

There were other attractions at the annual event. A live band, competitions, food booths and free watermelon provided by the Kiwanis Club brought many area residents to Reaves Park for festivities starting at 4 p.m.

As the rain rolled in about 6 p.m., James Briggs, a park planner working at Norman Day, announced over the loud speaker that the fireworks show was still on.

"We will not cancel the fireworks as of now," he said. "...As long as it rains and goes away -- we won't shoot in the middle of a lightning storm."

He said his boss, Jud Foster, made the decision because the severe weather looked like it would only last a short while before moving beyond Norman.

Briggs urged those at Reaves Park to take cover in their cars or the nearby parks maintenance building until the storm passed.

Debra Wilson, who lives near Reaves Park, said she and her family came up with a plan of action shortly after Briggs' announcement.

"We just formed a plan to go sit in the car if it gets bad and then come back," she said. The evening's finale was really what she was trying to make it to.

"I wanna see the fireworks," she said. "I'm like a little kid."

The $25,000 fireworks display definitely was a huge draw at the park Saturday, but there were other attractions as well.

Wilson participated in the Rock-Paper-Scissors championship at 5:30 p.m.

"That was fun," she said of the game. "I got beat by the champion, so I feel good."

It was the first time the competition was featured at Norman Day.

"We've never done it before, so we'll see how it goes," said Jason Olsen, a Parks and Recreation employee who worked the Rock-Paper-Scissors game.

Olsen called out "One, Two, Three!" and the participants faced off with one of three hand gestures.

Although the event drew mostly children, some adults, like Wilson, faced off against the young people.

"I think it's fun, exciting," Norman resident Linda King said of the competition. "Especially when they had the woman (playing) with the little 5-year-old girl."

Jeffry Hunt, 27, was the final winner of a certificate and passes to the Westwood pool.

"It was fun," he said. "It was the first time I ever participated in something like this. I used to play (Rock-Paper-Scissors) as a kid."

Hunt came to the park Saturday with his wife and two children. He planned to stick out any rain that came to the park "and then watch the fireworks from my van."

At the watermelon stand, Lt. Cathy Davis of the Civil Air Patrol summed up what a lot of people felt as she looked on the bright side of the inclement weather.

"I think they're grateful it's finally started to cool off," she said.

Julianna Parker Jones 366-3541 jparker@normantranscript.com

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