The Lutz’s Fourth of July Parade drew an enthusiastic crowd.
“It was wonderful, of course,” said Jennifer Rankin, parade chairwoman.
“After two years of not being there — I’m sure we messed up somewhere. I’m sure we forgot something, somewhere — but at the end of the day, everybody had smiles on their faces and I heard wonderful reviews from people,” she said.
“Some people had to cancel at the last minute, due to either heat or sicknesses.
But people stayed upbeat and volunteers kept things running smoothly.
The GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club had invaluable helpers, she said.
“There were tons of them there, making sure to direct things. If there were problems, (they were right there) getting on top of it,” she said.
Overall, she continued: “We had a great turnout.
“People stuck around to hear the results of the parade and who won what trophies.
“People stuck around to see who won the Guv’na.
“And, people went inside and auctioned on the cake,” she said.
While Zephyrhills dealt with rain, Lutz endured heat.
“It was hot. It was very hot,” Rankin said.
She had a great time.
“I’m ready for next year, already,” Rankin said.
In Zephyrhills, the weather wasn’t exactly cooperative on July 2, during the early part of Summerfest in Zephyrhills.
Some folks didn’t let the drizzling rain — or periodic downpours — deter them from attending the free family friendly event. They came out to Zephyr Park to check out what the food trucks had to offer, to listen to music, and during the evening to watch fireworks over the lake.
While the weather put a damper on the early part of the event, when the weather cleared the crowd picked up, according to Kevin Tucker, event manager and marketing manager for Florida Penguin Productions.
By the time the fireworks went off, he estimated that about 3,000 people had turned out to watch the show.
“Our events are rain or shine. We pushed through and the community loved it,” Tucker said, via email, characterizing the festival as “a great event.”
Published July 13, 2022
