The holiday weekend will start with a bang as Downtown Statesboro’s First Friday event offers free watermelon, music and other family fun, and the traditional Firecracker Fest at Mill Creek Regional Park will round out the weekend Monday.

Friday, July 1, is the “Fun in the Sun” downtown picnic celebration “full of great food, local shopping and fun in downtown Statesboro,” said Allen Muldrew, director of the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority.

Held 5:30–8 p.m. on the courthouse lawn, the event includes “local vendors, giveaways, music, food, a Party Harbor bounce house and summer fun for all ages,” he said. The event is free and open to the public, and the DSDA will be providing complimentary lemonade and watermelon to keep people cool and refreshed.

Because fireworks are now legal to use and sell in Georgia, many local residents may be taking advantage of the new law by setting off fireworks of their own. Local law enforcement, including Statesboro police Sgt. Jake Saxon and Bulloch County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Jared Akins, warn people to be safe and observe common-sense precautions when using fireworks.

“Don’t hold them after you light them,” Akins said. “Have fun but be cautious — they will start a fire, and they will hurt if they blow up on you.”

Using fireworks while intoxicated is not advisable, either, he added.

Saxon agreed: “We want to make sure people understand that alcohol and fireworks do not mix,” he said. “Let someone sober ignite them, and don’t let children ignite them. Also, be mindful of your neighbors” and observe legal times for setting off fireworks, he said.

State law mandates firework use end at 2 a.m. on New Year’s Eve and July Fourth; midnight is the deadline for other days.

The annual Firecracker Fest begins Monday at 5 p.m., offering many family oriented activities. Located at Mill Creek Regional Park on Highway 24, the event offers a greased pole-climbing contest with two age divisions — a short pole for ages 10 and under and a tall pole for ages 14 and under — free wet and dry inflatables for kids, a frog-jumping contest, tattoo art, hair painting, games, and displays from Air Evac and the Statesboro and Bulloch County fire departments.

The greased pole and frog-jumping contests have been traditions for years now, said Statesboro-Bulloch County Parks and Recreation Department director Mike Rollins. The frog-jumping contest requires participants to bring their own frog and draws about 100 kids a year, he said.

“There are bullfrogs, toad frogs and tree frogs,” he said.

The contest is divided into three races, one for each type of frog. Awards are given to the contestant with the frog that jumps the furthest in 15 seconds, as well as to the participants with the largest and biggest frogs in each division.

Live entertainment from 5:30 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. will include music performances and exhibits by Force One Karate and Statesboro Karate.

“Terry Lee and the GTs, a band based out of Atlanta that performs party music from the past five decades in classic rock, today’s hits and even some beach music” will play, said Broni Gainous, marketing and communications coordinator for the SBCPRD.

“During their break, local Chyann Rose will perform on the main stage with a variety of songs,” she said.

At 9:15 p.m., when it gets dark, there will be local announcements, a performance of the national anthem and a spectacular fireworks display sponsored in part by Briggs and Stratton, she said.

The 2016 Firecracker Fest is sponsored by Sea Island Bank, Briggs and Stratton, Coca-Cola, the Kiwanis Club of Statesboro, the Downtown Rotary Club of Statesboro, Chick-fil-A, Blanchard Equipment, Statesboro Golf Carts and Brickhouse Live.

Traffic

The SBCPRD “wants everyone to be safe this holiday,” Gainous said. “We have worked with local law enforcement and the Georgia Highway Patrol to create a traffic plan for this event.”

Starting at 6:30 p.m., the park’s back exit will be used for exiting traffic only. Traffic will be stopped at the intersection of Brannen and Beasley roads, and only residents will be allowed to turn down Brannen Road, she said.

Starting at 8:45 p.m., “no traffic will be allowed down Highway 24 from Veterans Memorial Parkway to the recycling center just past the main entrance to Mill Creek Regional Park,” she said.

From 9:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., traffic will exit out of the main entrance of the park using both lanes. The right lane will be directed right or left onto Highway 24; the left lane will be directed left onto Highway 24. Traffic exiting from residences and businesses across Highway 24 from Mill Creek Regional Park will only be allowed to turn right (west) onto the highway.

Both lanes of Highway 24 will go straight to Veterans Memorial Parkway. The right lane will be allowed to travel right onto the parkway or straight on Highway 24/East Main Street. The left lane will be directed left onto the parkway.

“Traffic exiting out of the back exit at Mill Creek will turn right onto Brannen Road and then left onto Beasley Road to Highway 80,” Gainous said. “The back entrance to Mill Creek Park will be used for exiting only.”

Once all cars have left the park, traffic from Mill Creek Elementary School will be directed right onto Beasley Road to Highway 80. Traffic exiting from Bible Baptist Church, Trinity Presbyterian Church and Barnes Lumber will be directed right onto Highway 24 to the parkway for access to Highways 80 and 301, she said.

“Exiting preference will be given to people parked in designated areas within Mill Creek Regional Park.”

For more information on parking, events and traffic flow, visit www.bullochrec.com.

Herald reporter Holli Deal Saxon may be reached at (912) 489-9414.