A day of Sertoma Club 4th of July holiday activities in 2013 comes to a close with a fireworks display at San Gabriel Park. Sun archive photo.

City fireworks will return this Independence Day

 

It may have been touch and go for a time, but there will be fireworks over San Gabriel Park this Fourth of July at dusk.

 

The annual event thrown by the Georgetown Sertoma Club was canceled last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and almost suffered the same fate this year when Sertoma and the City of Georgetown made the decision to cancel several months ago.

 

However, because of the improved conditions of the pandemic and wide-spread vaccination, the Sertoma Club and city announced Wednesday that they will indeed be bringing the show back.

 

Fireworks will be set off around 9:15 p.m. on Sunday, July 4, over San Gabriel Park. This will be the 38th year for the event. 

 

The event will be smaller than in the past. Due to the short notice to organize, the Independence Day celebration will be without the city’s usual parade, food trucks, and vendors. 

 

The fireworks are launched from the McMaster Athletic Fields on North College Street, and can be viewed at various spots around town for those wishing to avoid the crowd at the park. 

 

It is against city ordinance to set off personal fireworks. Due to the fireworks fall zone, North College Street will be closed Sunday, July 4, from about 9-11 p.m. between the traffic circle and Holly Street. Parking, standing, or sitting along that segment of North College Street will not be permitted during this time.

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Faith in Action hosts exhibit, 
Q&A with local veterans

 

By ELLEN GREENEY

 

Faith in Action has been a stalwart and faithful part of the Georgetown community for two decades. 

 

The organization is marking its 20th anniversary this year with a month-long exhibit and a special event on July 1.

The July exhibit is titled “Portraits of Independence” and features professional portraits of 12 senior clients, several who have served their country.  

 

All of these seniors are over the age of 80 and a few are over 100. They have experienced life like few others and have stories to share; heroes from WWII, the Vietnam War, and a French Legion of Honor medal recipient. 

Three of the honorees include sky-diver Ernie Columbus, age 101, and Virginia Anderson and Grover Trytten, both 100.

 

“Our seniors have lived an impressive span of eight decades and some even ten decades,” said Vickie Orcutt, Faith in Action executive director. “It’s important for our community to understand vibrant aging.”

 

You can view the portraits and hear from these heroes during the “Portraits of Independence” event, Thursday, July 1, at Lamppost Coffee, located on South Main Street in downtown Georgetown. A VIP coffee reception will begin at 4 p.m., followed by a general admission Q&A with Mr. Columbus and Mr. Trytten at 5:30 p.m., and a wine and cheese reception. 

 

Tickets start at $35 for VIP access, $25 for general admission and $10 for children ages 12 and under. Seating is limited. 

 

Tickets for the family-friendly “Portraits of Independence” event are available at FaithInActionGT.org/events or by calling the office at 512-868-9544 for more information. 

 

All proceeds benefit Faith in Action’s supportive services for seniors. 

This event is one of several fundraisers taking place as part of the organization’s 20th anniversary.

 

Faith in Action Georgetown is a non-profit organization helping seniors maintain their independence and quality of life by  providing transportation and other support services free of charge. 

 

“Faith in Action has been very helpful to me when I’ve needed to get my macular degeneration shots,” Mr. Trytten said. “I’m very grateful for them.”

The volunteer organization grew from Georgetown Interfaith Caregivers, which began in 2000 with start-up funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Today, the organization has evolved to include support by 16 partner churches, as well as corporate partnerships, grants and private donations. 

 

Ride scheduling and sharing services increased in 2018 with the addition of the Go-Van-Go Program and a 14-passenger van offering group grocery trips and social outings.

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Critique planned I-35 improvements between Round Rock and Georgetown

 

By NICHOLAS CICALE

 

The Texas Department of Transportation will upgrade 4.4 miles of Interstate 35 in Williamson County from Georgetown’s Southeast Inner Loop to Ranch to Market Road 1431.

 

The project will construct a new Westinghouse Road bridge over the interstate. Interstate 35 intersections at Westinghouse Road and SE Inner Loop will also be revised and enhanced, as will area service roads and ramps. 

“Improvements to this area are needed to address traffic backups that occur on the main lanes, frontage roads and cross-street intersections, and to enhance safety throughout the corridor,” TxDOT documents state. 

 

Residents interested in commenting on the changes can do so during an ongoing virtual open house that launched Friday and will stay active through June 26. 

 

The virtual event includes a prerecorded presentation and allows access to maps and project information. Comments can be left online at seinnerloop.mobility35openhouse.com.

 

The project is still in its environmental study and design phases. Construction could begin in 2024, with an estimated cost of $107 million, TxDOT said.

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Georgetown residents pack into Blue Hole Park to swim while enjoying the sunshine and hot temperature Wednesday, June 26.  Photo by Nicholas Cicale

 

Heatwave hits Wilco

By NICHOLAS CICALE

 

A month of above average rainfall in May was followed by below average temperatures in early June. Now, Georgetown is in the midst of the year’s first summer heatwave. 

High temperatures in Georgetown have topped 90 degrees each day since June 9, and are forecast by the National Weather Service to remain above 90 degrees through Monday.

 

From June 11-17, the high temperature in Georgetown was 3.8 degrees higher than the historic average. Temperatures peaked at 97 degrees in Georgetown Monday, with the “feels-like” temperature reaching 105 degrees, according to the weather gage at the Georgetown Municipal Airport. 

 

Just south in Austin, temperatures reached 100 degrees Monday for the first time in 2021. The milestone was hit a few weeks early this year, with the first 100 degree day usually taking place on July 4, according to the National Weather Service.