Freedom Blast @Greer City Park July 4, 2009

Independence Day will have a new look – and sound – this year in Greer.

Cravin’ Melon, Aaron James Whisnant (formerly of Dezeray’s Hammer), and Motown legend Sidney Barnes are among the musical acts who will put some musical fireworks into Freedom Blast at Greer City Park on July 4. Real fireworks will light the sky at 10 p.m. following a salute to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Vendors will line the City Park’s promenade at 301 E. Poinsett St. beginning at noon. A Kids’ Zone with free activities, as well as unlimited inflatables fun for a nominal charge, will open at 1 p.m. Old-fashioned Fourth of July games such as sack races and eating contests with both watermelons and pies will begin at 2 p.m. and continue throughout the afternoon.

A variety of entertainment is planned non-stop on three stages.

At 2 p.m., Whisnant will christen the gazebo stage overlooking the park’s reflecting pond. The bluegrass sounds of the West End String Band will follow Whisnant at 4:30 p.m.

“That should be a great setting for those artists, as the audience enjoys the park swings and spreads out on blankets around the pond,” City Administrator Ed Driggers said. “It will be a prime location for an afternoon picnic.”

The City Park Amphitheater will also host two acts beginning at 2 p.m. when the Greer Children’s Theater offering a dramatic look at the city’s history in “Greer Through the Ages.” Tameka Simmons and the Professors of Soul with special guest Sidney Barnes will bring classic Motown sounds to Freedom Blast from 3:30 until 5:30 p.m. on the amphitheater stage. Barnes, a Motown legend who co-wrote “We Want The Funk” with George Clinton, compliments the powerful and soulful vocals of Simmons.

Entertainment shifts to the main stage at 5:30 p.m. with Johnny Suede and the Radio Junkies. The recently-formed band includes Mike Burket, former lead guitarist for Ghost in the Machine, and former Dezeray’s Hammer drummer Kenny Hogan.

Melonheads from across the Upstate will fill the Greer City Park lawn when the Upstate’s own Cravin’ Melon brings its rich musical library, including the Southern anthem “Sweet Tea,” to Freedom Blast’s Main Stage at 8 p.m.

“We’re combining the best Independence Day traditions with some of the most talented musical artists in the Carolinas,” Driggers said. “We’re looking forward to the start of a new tradition in the City of Greer. It truly will live up to the name Freedom Blast.”

Official Website: http://www.cityofgreer.org/FreedomBlast.aspx