The La Porte Jaycees

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Thursday, June 26, 2008 La Porte Jaycees 4th of July Parade Line Up Parade unit confirmation letters along with line up numbers and map were mailed out by the La Porte Jaycees on Monday, June 23rd. The line up is available by clicking on the link below and can also be found under the Resources and Forms section along with the Line Up Map. In the event you did not receive your line up information please see below or click on the documents shown under the Resources and Forms section. There will be Starters (these are the people in the black and white striped referee shirts) along the line up route to answer any questions you may have after lining up your entry. Dignitaries are to gather at Wells Fargo Bank parking lot, located on the corner of Detroit and State Street, by 9:00am, to be assigned to their car. Dignitaries may want to arrange to be picked up at the end of the route. Floats being judged are to line up by 8:00am with float personnel riding in place by 8:30am for judging. All other units are to line up by 9:00am, as indicated on the map. ATTENTION ALL VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS: Due to past crowd requests, we are asking that sirens be used in moderation and water spraying will not be allowed. All Fire trucks are to drive two wide down the parade route. Please be aware that over half of this year’s entries have requested to be at the beginning of the line up. We have made every effort to satisfy these requests; however, not all requests were honored. Emergency vehicles and entries with other parade commitments were given first consideration. If you have any questions on the line up, parade rules, or if your plans have changed and you are unable to participate; please contact Angie Moser, 2008 4th of July Parade Chairperson, at 219-324-7571 at once so she can adjust our lineup. The La Porte Jaycees wish everyone a Happy and Safe 4th of July! 2008 4th of July Parade Line Up

Tuesday, July 01, 2008 The Current to play at Beer Barns on July 3rd Come on out to the La Porte Jaycee Beer Barns on July 3rd for great music, food and beverage, and tons of fun! Commercial Building #2 at the La Porte County Fairgrounds is the place to be! Come early and bring your friends! Doors will open at 7:00pm and the band will play from 8:00pm to midnight. $6.00 cover charge. ALL IDs will be check so you must be 21 with a valid ID with you to enter. No carry-ins allowed and a designated driver program will be available for those interested. Beer Barn Flyer

Tuesday, July 01, 2008 Flyover Information Announced The Plane: VFA 204 “River Rattlers” is an FA-18 Hornet Reserve Squadron based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Rattlers were commissioned at Naval Air Station Memphis, TN on 1 July 1970 flying the venerable A-4 Skyhawk. The squadron operated with the Sky Hawk for seven years before transitioning to the Vaught A7 Corsair and simultaneously moving its base of operations to NAS New Orleans, Louisiana, Where they remain today. The Rattlers operated the Corsair for 14 Years, winning every major combat readiness, safety and maintenance award the US Navy has to offer. 1 April 1991 marked the beginning of an era by transitioning to the newest fighter of the day, the mighty FA-18 Hornet. At the time, the most advance fighter aircraft in the Navy’s inventory. The Rattlers have been flying the Hornet for over 17 years and have operated from the decks of every Aircraft Carrier in the United States’ Inventory. Today The Rattlers have two missions. The First is to maintain a high level of combat readiness. Should the Rattlers ever be needed to support the interests of the United States or support its allies abroad the squadron is ready to go at a moment’s notice. The second, and the mission the squadron is most active with, is that of Adversary support for the US Navy’s Front line aviation units. The Rattlers are an essential tool in the Navy’s overall combat readiness plan. In this role, the squadron simulates tactics flown by every countries air force that may pose a threat to the US. This allows the Navy’s front line fighter units an opportunity to practice and adapt tactics to these threats. The River Rattlers have trained every Navy Front line fighter squadron in the Navy, a monumental responsibility and accomplishment for a single squadron. Making this fact even more amazing is that throughout its history, The Rattlers have always been a reserve squadron. Which means it is run by citizen sailors. A typical member of the squadron may be an aircraft electrician one weekend a month and work a full time job in there civilian life. A typical pilot will fly 5 or 6 times a month and hold a full time job as an airline pilot, lawyer, consultant or business owner. These individuals dedication to duty and love of country has made the VFA-204 “River Rattlers” one of the best and most respected squadrons in the US Navy. Check out pictures of the plane at: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/f-18ef-pics.htm The Pilot: CDR Sean “RAX” Rackley is a Naval Reservist with 24 yrs of service, 13 on active duty. During this time he has accumulated over 4000 hours of flight time in high performance jets, 2700 in the FA-18, 554 Carrier landings (213 at night) and 64 combat missions. During the most recent conflict in Iraq, CDR Rackley planned and participated in the first Navy Night Strike over Baghdad launched from the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Mediterranean Ocean. CDR Rackley has flown combat missions during Operation Southern Watch supporting the no fly zone over Southern Iraq and over Bosnia Herzegovina. CDR Rackley is now the senior Adversary Pilot with the River Rattlers of Strike Fighter Squadron 204. In his civilian life, CDR Rackley is the Chief Executive Officer of Check Six, Inc. A business performance consulting company he co-founded which focuses its efforts on high performance organizations operating in high risk/high reliability environments. He also spent a short time as a pilot for United Airlines and as an Engineering lead on the F35 Joint Strike Fighter for Lockheed Martin. CDR Rackley was born in San Antonio, TX and grew up in TX, California and Canada. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics form Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and a Masters in business Administration from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, TX. He currently resides in Mandeville, Louisiana.

Tuesday, July 01, 2008 4th of July Parade Media Coverage La Porte’s very own Dennis Siddall and Cathy Reese from WLOI/WCOE will be broadcasting the July 4th morning show from 6:00am to 9:00am live from the pontoon boat! Stay tuned to WLOI AM 1540 as Dennis and Cathy cover the parade. You won’t want to miss them describe the flyover and parade units. Tune into WCOE FM 96.7 The Eagle for parade and firework updates in case of inclement weather. Alco-TV Channel 97 will broadcasting the parade. Check their schedule for broadcasting times. The La Porte Jaycees have been informed that Comcast Cable will not be airing 4th of July Parade this year.

Friday, June 27, 2008 4th of July starts off with the 62nd Annual Parade The La Porte Jaycees 62nd Annual 4th Of July Parade will be held on Friday, July 4, 2008 starting at 10:00am. The parade will last approximately 2-3 hours with over 60,000 spectators in attendance. This year’s theme is “Honoring Community Service”. La Porte Jaycee chapter members selected this theme to honor all community service organizations. Everyone loves the Flyover and the La Porte Jaycees would like the community to know that they have been working very hard to bring one to La Porte again this year. All the appropriate paperwork has been filed and confirmation is pending. ************************************************* The La Porte Jaycees would like to thank Packaging Logic for donating the trash boxes along the parade route again this year. Please help keep our City clean by placing your trash in one of the boxes! *********************************************** Thanks to our Parade Program Distribution Gang for handing out this year's program. Make sure to get your copy! A big thanks also to all the local businesses who advertised this year. ************************************************* TICKETS! GET YOUR GIVE A WAY TICKETS! This year’s Grand Prize is a 50/50 Raffle. 1st Prize is a $500 gift certificate donated by A.J. Schmitt Jewelers. 2nd Prize is a Gas Grill and Accessories donated by Schmitt and Kaylor CPAs. A Big Thanks goes to our La Porte Jaycee alumni members for their generosity again this year with prizes!! Tickets can be purchased from La Porte Jaycees members prior to the parade, along the parade route, and prior to the fireworks show at the fairgrounds. 1 ticket for $1.00 or 7 tickets for $5.00. Don’t miss out on your chance to be this year’s big winner!

Thursday, June 26, 2008 Actor Sean Astin to be La Porte Jaycees Grand Parade Marshal The La Porte Jaycees are proud to announce that this year’s 4th of July Grand Parade Marshal will be Sean Astin. Sean Astin made his feature film debut (at age 13) as "Mikey Walsh" in Richard Donner's adventure The Goonies (1984). Sean's portrayal of a young man determined to play football for Notre Dame in Rudy (1993) won hearts across America, and continues to inspire young people whenever it is shown. Other well-known film credits include Bulworth, Courage Under Fire, Memphis Belle, Encino Man, Like Father Like Son, Where the Day Takes You, Staying Together, War of the Roses, Safe Passage, and White Water Summer. Check out Sean’s Official Website which provides insight into Sean's career, featuring personal comments from him about his experiences as an actor, director, and producer. Sean's Bio Sean Astin's Website

Wednesday, April 09, 2008 2007 La Porte Jaycees Ghost Walk Winners Front Row: Age Group 4-6 Winners - 1st Place Morgan Rhew (Dorothy), 2nd Place Gretchen Luther (Popeye), and 3rd Place Drew Noveroske (Dracula) and Age Group 7-10 Winners - 1st Place Alex Moser (Ninja), 2nd Place Bailey Cherry (Jester), and 3rd Place Trey Cherry (Jester). Back Row: Age Group 0-3 with their moms - 1st Place Tristan Worthington (Chicken), 2nd Place Alex Tapia (Dalmatian), and 3rd Place Jacob Koepke (Dragon).

Thursday, June 26, 2008 Nicole Rash, Miss Indiana 2007, to appear in La Porte Jaycees Parade The La Porte Jaycees are pleased to announced that Nicole Rash, Miss Indiana 2007, will be participating in their 4th of July Parade this year. Nicole was named Miss Indiana 2007 and was the First Runner-Up to Miss America 2008 in Las Vegas and Top 3 on Miss America Reality Check. For more information, check out her website. Miss Indiana 2007

Sunday, June 29, 2008 Lots of fun at the Fireworks! This year's Fireworks Show is once again co-sponsored by the La Porte Savings Bank. Grab your chairs and blankets and head out to the La Porte County Fairgrounds early to enjoy the food booths and entertainment before the fireworks show begins. Gates open at 6:00pm and a donation of $1.00 per person to walk in or $5.00 per carload to drive in will be collected at the gates. The Fireworks Show will begin at dusk. ************************************************* Don’t forget to get your Glow Necklaces before the Fireworks Show! 1 for $2.00 or 3 for $5.00! La Porte Jaycees will be selling them prior to the start of the show. Get yours before they are all gone! *********************************************** Plans are being made for the Med Flight helicopters to land at the fairgrounds, weather permitting and barring no other obligations, at approximately 6:45pm. Come out early to see them! *********************************************** The La Porte Jaycees have just confirmed that the U.S. Army will be having a display at the Fireworks. Look for their tent and a blow up tunnel where they will be making personalized dog tags for free and handing out T-Shirts, Key Chains, and Bumper Stickers. They will also have a Hummer on display. ************************************************* Ever wondered what was going on in the fenced in area under the tent at the Fireworks? It is the La Porte Jaycees VIP Tent! Local businesses support the VIP Tent by purchasing a half or full table and in return they receive passes to the fireworks, complimentary food and beverages, premier (VIP) seating/hospitality, special entrance and parking area, signage, verbal recognition, and an ad in the Parade Program. Plan now to sponsor a table in 2009!

Thursday, June 26, 2008 Thanks! The La Porte Jaycees would like to thank their families, friends, and past Jaycee members in addition to the community for their support during the planning of the 2008 4th of July. After taking a month or two to relax and recoup, chapter members volunteer, once again, to chair one or more areas of the 4th of July and the planning starts all over again! Every year it takes the La Porte Jaycee members a lot of hours, physical labor, phone calls, letters, e-mails, meetings, etc. to pull together all of the 4th of July events put on by the chapter each year. The La Porte Jaycees would like to encourage anyone ages 18-39 to join their chapter and help make a difference in our community by working to plan the 2009 4th of July or one of the many other projects ran by the chapter. For an informational brochure and application, click on the Resources and Forms section of our website. Have a Safe and Happy 4th of July!

Tuesday, July 01, 2008 5K Run Prior To Parade This year's 5K Run, held before the La Porte Jaycees Parade, is being sponsored by Dunes Running Club. There is no charge or pre-registration; however, anyone wishing to make a donation may do so. The 5K Run will begin at 9:00am with set up at the La Porte Savings Bank/Aldi's Parking Lot. Contact John Ryder at 219-575-4321 with any questions you may have.