History

Old-Fashioned Fourth activities planned at MSU

The Moorhead State University campus, usually a quiet place during the summer, will transform into a carnival Friday.

That's the day MSU is holding its 14th annual Old-Fashioned Fourth of July celebration, with everything from games and musical groups to a fireworks display.

"It's really a family event," says Ron Matthies, one of the celebration organizers.

Everything is free or at Depression-era prices, he notes.

The festivities begin with opening ceremonies at 1 p.m., followed by a children's decorated bicycle contest at 1:30 p.m.

There'll be continuous stage entertainment from 1-5 p.m., including two groups from Norway-the Troll Boys Orchestra and the C-Laget Orchestra. Other entertainers will be Johnny Flag's Fourth of July Band and a local barbershop quartet called Jay and the Americans.

Celebration organizers also are adding something new to the entertainment this year-a local rock band named Model Citizen.

Other activities include children's games, bingo, horse-drawn stage coach rides, fortune-telling, and a student art sale, plus performances by jugglers, mimes, and magicians.

The MSU planetarium will have a continuous show from 1-5 p.m. called "The Skies of Summer," and Walt Disney cartoons will be shown at MSU's Weld Hall from 1-5 p.m.

A community barbecue picnic starts at 5 p.m. behind the university library, and reservations are required. To make reservations, call 236-3265.

The Asker Folk Dancer and Accordion Orchestra and the Hundevik Choir, two other Norwegian groups, will provide the evening entertainment from 8:30-9:55 p.m. They'll perform at MSU's Nemzek Stadium.

A fireworks display, accompanied by patriotic music, will begin about 10 p.m.

Steve Macomber of Starr Fireworks, Fargo, has designed and constructed many of the items in this year's fireworks show, Matthies says. Macomber has designed fireworks for the Statue of Liberty rededication ceremonies in New York and the World's Fair in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Matthies says MSU's Old-Fashioned Fourth of July celebration generally attracts between 5,000 and 7,000 people for the afternoon events. He expects about the same number of people will attend this year's event. But it's always difficult to make predictions, he cautions.

He doesn't think that the Fourth of July falling right before a weekend will make much difference in attendance because the celebration appeals to people looking for inexpensive family entertainment.

"It's in its 14th year," he notes. "We've had it every day of the week."

The celebration mostly attracts local people, Matthies says. But once in awhile they've heard someone say, "We're here all the way from New York."

If you're looking for something with a faster pace on the Fourth of July, there's Minn-Kota racing at the Red River Valley fairgrounds in West Fargo.

The racing starts at 8 p.m. Friday. A fireworks display will follow the races.

Or, if you'd rather sit home the Fourth and listen to the radio, Minnesota Public Radio KCCM-FM will have a full day of holiday music. Here are some highlights.

• A concert at noon featuring folk singer Bill Crofut performing favorites such as "Old Joe Clark," "Sweet Betsy from Pike," "Streets of Laredo," and "Big Rock Candy Mountain."
• At 2:15 p.m., "Testament of Freedom," a rarely performed oratorio combining Thomas Jefferson's words and a score by American composer Randall Thompson.
• Arnie Fogel and his traditional birthday tribute to American jazz giant and pop singer Louis Armstrong at 5:30 p.m.
• The Minnesota Orchestra Independence Day concert live from the steps of the Minnesota state capitol at 8:45 p.m. The grand finale is Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture," complete with fireworks and cannon fire.