June 30, 2015

Arnegard to host 4th of July Celebration

By Kate Ruggles
Farmer Staff Writer

Fireworks, festivities, fun and merriment! That is what is waiting at this year’s Fourth of July Celebration in Arnegard.
From Hamburgers in the Park on Friday evening to a 5K Memorial Run, a parade, vendors and a bouncy house, there will be enjoyment waiting for residents of all ages in Arnegard on the Fourth of July weekend.
One of the things that makes the weekend so special, aside from fireworks and activities for the whole family, is the family that is honored each celebration.
This year, the family of Sherry Arnold is inviting everyone to Arnegard to celebrate Independence Day as well as to remember Sherry.
Sherry is the daughter of Ron and Sharon (Thompson) Whited, who ranch south of Sidney, Mont., with Sherry’s sister, Rhonda. Sherry’s mother, Sharon, grew up in Arnegard, but Sherry grew up and went to country school in Sidney, and then on to Sidney High School, where she graduated as the valedictorian.
After college, Sherry taught at various schools in North Dakota communities, finally being able to teach in her hometown of Sidney, Mont., the last 18 years of her career.
Sherry loved teaching math, but she also loved teaching her students ‘life lessons’ in integrity, determination, having a positive attitude and enjoying life. Nothing illustrated her character more than when she fought  cancer for six years and finally defeated it. Her connections to people and the lives she touched extended well beyond Sidney, and into western North Dakota and McKenzie County.
Sherry married Jerome Papineau and had two children, Jason and Holly. Then in 1998, she married Gary Arnold, and became a blended family with the addition of his children, Catherine, Karen and James. Her family still lives in the Sidney area today.
It is their desire that people come out to this year’s Fourth of July Celebration in Arnegard. Come to celebrate and remember the birth of our nation, as well as Sherry’s life while enjoying the fellowship of family and friends.
Festivities will begin on the evening of Friday, July 3, from 6 to 8 p.m. with Hamburgers in the Park.
Then Saturday, July 4, will begin with a 5K Memorial Walk/Run for Sherry Arnold.
“We have actually made the Memorial 5K a part of our Fourth of July Celebration for the last three years,” states Nikki Darrington. “It is just a coincidence that it is her family that is donating the meat for this year’s celebration and barbecue.”
Registration for the 5K will start at 8:30 a.m. or participants can call Janet at 220-2269 to register.
From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, vendors will line the park, showcasing crafts and various items for sale. Then from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the park will offer a bouncy house for children as well as other games throughout the day.
The Fourth of July Parade will begin at 11 a.m., and the annual Barbecue in the Park will follow. Sherry’s husband, Gary Arnold, has donated the meat for this year’s barbecue.
The Barbecue in the Park will start at noon, with music by Paula Slow,  followed by a program honoring Sherry Arnold and the life she lived at 1 p.m.
The softball tournament at the ball diamond will also begin at 1 p.m., and anyone wishing to register a team should call Patrick at 580-3023 before the weekend of July 4.
At 2 p.m. the Street Hockey Tournament will begin, along with a Kids Tractor Pull.
Finally, at dusk, the climax of all Fourth of July Celebrations - the fireworks program will begin.
It is a whole day of events for the whole family, and it is the desire of the Arnold family and the people of Arnegard, that anyone who is able and wants to, to come out and celebrate.
Concessions will be available throughout the day, and Fourth of July buttons can be purchased at First International Bank & Trust, CornerStone Bank, Short Stop and Charlie’s. Buttons are $2 per person and allow admission into all Fourth of July events.
The weekend celebration will conclude on Sunday, July 5, with Church in the Park at 10 a.m. Everyone and anyone is welcome and invited to bring a lawn chair or blanket and  take part in a community worship service.
More information on the weekend celebration can be found at the Arnegard City Hall, or by calling Virginia Elliot at 770-5493.

WATFORD CITY WEATHER