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by
Irene Koehler
Tri-City Voice
July 18, 2006
Celebrate
Fremont, the community-based planning organization for Fremont's 50th
anniversary celebration, announced that a one-of-a-kind event, Hands Around the
Lake, will mark the beginning of Fremont's two-day 50th anniversary celebration,
"Celebrate Fremont @ the Park," on September 9 in Fremont's Central Park.
Approximately 3,500 participants wearing orange T-shirts will link hands to
completely encircle Lake Elizabeth, a circumference of 1.8 miles. Local groups,
families, and individuals are invited to register and participate.
"We wanted something that the citizens of Fremont could be a part of," says
event organizer Doug Tinney. His inspiration came from two sources, the 1986
Hands Across America, in which people linked hand-in-hand across the United
States to join the East Coast with the West Coast, and from the artist Christo's
orange gate that wound its way through New York's Central Park in 2005. "This is
an historic event that people will be proud to remember," he continues. "It will
be a highly visible expression of our unity and pride in our city, and we
sincerely thank Fremont Bank for their generous donation to support this event."
Registration is open now and will continue until the maximum number of
participants-3,500-is reached. Those who would like to participate should
download the registration form from the Celebrate Fremont Web site at
www.celebratefremont.org and
follow the instructions. Those without Internet access may ask a friend or leave
a message with the Celebrate Fremont office at (510) 790-9352. The registration
fee is $5, which includes the commemorative orange T-shirt. Registration is
recommended by July 31, but will close only when full registration is reached.
If space is still available on the day of the event the registration fee will be
$7.
The event will begin promptly at 9 a.m. on Saturday, September 9 at Lake
Elizabeth in Central Park. All participants must arrive and check in by 8 a.m.
to allow time to walk to a position on the path. Wheelchair-bound participants
or those that cannot walk long distances will receive priority for placement on
the near side of lake near check-in area. All participants are requested to wear
the orange event t-shirt to form a solid line of color around the lake. Anyone
who wishes to participate but must wear a head scarf or clothing associated with
their religious belief is asked to wear a shade of orange if possible.
"This event will be a visible representation of our vision to reinforce
Fremont's connectedness," observes Anu Natarajan, event chair for the two-day
Celebrate Fremont @ the Park. "It will serve as a dramatic start for the
anniversary celebration."
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