Red, white and boom!

• By LISA TRAMONTANA
• Advocate News Features staff
• Published: Jul 3, 2009

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Visitors to the Baton Rouge riverfront will again be treated to a spectacular Fourth of July when the Star-Spangled Celebration takes place Saturday.

The day begins with the BASF Freedom Mile and continues with food, live music, children’s activities, tours of the USS Kidd and Fireworks on the Mississippi to end the holiday.

J&M Display, the company handling the fireworks, promises an unforgettable show complete with patterned fireworks such as hearts, stars and smiley faces, and traditional red, white and blue effects carved into the night sky.

“New this year are our falling leaves,” said David Spear, J&M Gulf Coast representative. “It’s a long-lasting effect with big flakes in six colors lazily falling down from the sky. It will really get the crowd going. And we really ramp things up for our finale, which will be extremely powerful.”

The 9 p.m. fireworks, sponsored by WBRZ Channel 2 and The Advocate, will be a fitting way to end a day filled with family-themed patriotism.

“I encourage everyone to gather their family and friends and come downtown for this celebration,” said Davis Rhorer, executive director of Downtown Development. “Independence Day is when we celebrate the precious freedom given to us, so we need to stand tall to support those who protect us every day.”

The Club South Runners host their annual Freedom Mile at 8 a.m. According to club member Ben Cherbonnier, the route begins at Hollywood Casino and continues down River Road, ending at the USS Kidd. “We’ve got four races scheduled (for different age categories) leaving the starting line at 20-minute intervals,” Cherbonnier said.

Starting at noon, there will be tours of the USS Kidd, face painting for children and food vendors offering everything from Cajun cuisine to pizza to ice cream.

Live music will be played all afternoon, with American Girls at 1:30 p.m., Westbound Train featuring Anita LeBlanc at 3 p.m., the Floyd Brown Band/Bryan Romano Band at 4:30 p.m., Jenny Brooks at 6:30 p.m. and the Baton Rouge Concert Band at 8 p.m.

American Girls is a group of nine local female country singers. Westbound Train’s sound is a combination of rock, pop and country. The popular Floyd Brown Band, sharing the stage with the Bryan Romano Band, will perform a variety of hits, and Slidell native Jenny Brooks will sing country favorites. Brooks, the event headliner, is a popular country singer who shared a stage with other Louisiana artists during a Super Bowl halftime show. The Baton Rouge Concert Band will perform last, offering a string of patriotic songs leading up to the fireworks display.

A fly-by with F-15 Eagle jet aircraft will be conducted by the Louisiana Air National Guard at 6 p.m. Afterward, several vintage WWII planes will stage a mock attack on the USS Kidd, which is an authentic WWII destroyer. A hot-air balloon lift-off will also take place.

Fireworks on the Mississippi begins promptly at 9 p.m. For $10, visitors can view the fireworks from the decks of the USS Kidd.
Organizers of the celebration ask visitors not to bring ice chests, pets, tents or barbecue pits. For more information, call (225) 342-1942, or go to http://www.usskidd.com.

Those who don’t mind paying a little extra for the experience can attend the Manship Theatre’s Fourth on the 4th event, which starts at 6 p.m. on the fourth floor River Terrace of the Shaw Center, and provides a fantastic view of the fireworks display. Also included in the ($50 adult/$25 children) admission price is live music, cash bar and great summer food. Call (225) 344-0334 to order tickets.