70 Youngsters
Participate In
Annual Event

By Emily Booker
and Lauren Henry
Staff Interns

Red, white, and blue clad youngsters waved flags and sang patriotic songs Thursday morning in celebration of the country's birthday.

Approximately 70 children from The Children's Center, at 119 Fairgrounds Rd., participated in the annual children's Fourth of July parade.

The children prepared for almost two weeks for the parade, making red, white and blue shirts and patriotic shakers in class.

For the parade, the children wore their homemade shirts and carried American flags, shakers, and noise makers.

Some infants traveled in strollers decorated in red, white and blue.

A toy train provided by Grand Rental Station carried youngsters from The Children's Center, through the Food Lion parking lot, to the Lowe's parking lot.

Many parents, grandparents and other family members as well as employees of The Children's Center lined the route and cheered for the children, who ranged from infants to five-year-olds.

At the Lowe's parking lot, the children stopped to sing "God Bless America" and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

"We want to share a little bit of what we try to share with our children," Virginia Waddell, director of The Children's Center said of the parade. "We try to make sure that our children realize that God and country are very, very important."

After a prayer, the children traveled back to the center for a snack of refreshing ice pops.  
The Children's Center is operated by Holston United Methodist Home for Children.