16th Annual July 4th BBQ 2009

As folks convened around the lake, others were snacking on the free lunch at Memorial Park Funeral Home in Gainesville.

Funeral home owner Jack Frost held the 16th annual July Fourth cookout Saturday afternoon, where an estimated 7,000 people dined, Memorial Park Public Relations Director Billy Hendrix said.

The cookout honors Hall County and Gainesville’s firemen, law enforcement officials and emergency service workers for their steadfast service to the community. The celebration featured tunes from Fred Mulkey and The Back Porch Band and plates piled high with watermelon, barbecue and all the fixings.

Hendrix said the funeral home considers the $25,000 event an investment in the community. Volunteers also delivered more than 500 to-go meals for public service workers who were on the job Saturday, he said.

Retired Gainesville Police Chief Harold Black said it makes his heart swell to see so many residents turn out for the patriotic celebration in honor of service workers who sacrifice holidays and family time to put out fires and rescue those in danger.

“That tells me that they appreciate our services,” he said.

Hall County Sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Tempel said the thank you event is the icing on the cake for the holiday.

“It’s really nice, it really is,” he said. “Not that people don’t do it on a daily basis, but it’s really nice to have the community come together for a thank you in a special way.”

Tempel said after serving in the U.S. Army for 10 years, nearly two of which he spent in Bosnia, he’s especially grateful for the freedom America celebrates on the Fourth of July.

“I’ve seen what it’s like for people in third world countries struggling to have a quality life and an unfair government taking it from them,” he said. “... I think the Fourth of July is a celebration of our country and also of the spirit of doing what’s right.”

Two politicians seeking Rep. Nathan Deal’s 9th District congressional seat saw the cookout as a chance for some face time with voters. Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ranger, and former state Department of Transportation Board Chairman Mike Evans addressed the crowd and made the rounds at dining tables.

Hendrix said the annual cookout had a new twist this year with the kickoff of the Gold Shield Fund, an organization established to assist Gainesville and Hall County public safety workers and their families who encounter financial hardship after members are killed or seriously injured in the line of duty.

Hendrix said Frost established the fund as a 70th birthday gift for his wife, and it’s been three years in the making.

“We thought with this event and the economy and the patriotic spirit, now’s the time to kick it off,” he said. “People are responding very well.”

Hendrix said the organization has amassed more than $15,000 to benefit public service workers. He said in a couple of years, Gold Shield Fund organizers also hope to provide college scholarships to children of public servants.

http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/article/2810/