'It's refreshing': Thousands come out for Staunton's Happy Birthday America celebration
STAUNTON — Clusters of people dressed in red, white and blue garb gathered in front of Gypsy Hill Park's bandstand Monday as the Stonewall Brigade Band performed classic American tributes.
Thousands turned out for the first Happy Birthday America celebration since 2019. Excitement, along with the lingering smell of kettle corn, drifted in the afternoon breeze as people wandered from the bandstand over to the baseball field.
While walking across the parking lot in front of the baseball field, children can be seen smiling and waving to family members as they board carnival rides.
Candice Sloan was one of many family members waving to their kids while on a ride. Sloan was so happy she was able to bring her family out to the event to make memories.
"It's refreshing," Sloan said. "It's like a sense of normalcy again."
Only a handful of masks were seen by The News Leader at the event. The few who wore masks typically had them lowered to their chin or dangling off their ear unless approaching a crowd.
Joel Ramos' family was one of the few groups who wore masks. His family was having a great time enjoying all Happy Birthday America has to offer: live music, vendors, snacks and more.
"(We're) very happy to come out and be able to partake in a live patriotic event as beautiful as this one," Ramos said. "Since this is not really all in your face it's very comfortable."
People waited in line to get their faces painted with bright colors and glitter as a gentle breeze swept across the parking lot. A sea of lawn chairs filled the field of John Moxie Stadium as bands performed.
With an umbrella in hand, Martha Goodyear bobbed her head from side to side while sitting in her lawn chair enjoying the live music. Goodyear has been coming to Staunton's Fourth of July celebration for at least a decade before the COVID pandemic hit.
Goodyear shared that she was once hospitalized for 11 days with COVD. She's glad to see events like Happy Birthday America coming back.
"We've missed it," she said. "We've been here faithfully many years."
— Katelyn Waltemyer (she/her) is the government watchdog reporter for The News Leader. Have a news tip on local government? Or a good feature? You can reach Katelyn at kwaltemyer@newsleader.com. Follow her on Twitter @Kate_Waltemyer.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Thousands happy to see Staunton's Happy Birthday America celebration back
