Annual parade, fi reworks set for July 4

1 Library events set The following events are set for the week of June 30 through july 6 at Parker Williams Library, 10851 Scarsdale Blvd.: The Traveling Naturalist will be at the library Thursday, June 30, at 2:30 with the program, Dig These Diggers. Learn all about animals that dig. This program is for ages 5 and up. Free tickets are required and can be picked up at the reference desk on the day of the program. On Saturday, july 2, Vietnamese storytime will include Reading Club at 9 , followed by intermediate storytime at 11 and beginner storytime at 1 Teen Craft Time is at 3 on Wednesday, july 6. The group will make Sharpie tie-dye T-shirts. This program is for ages 12 and up. Register online or in the library. All materials will be provided. Preschool storytime is at 10:30 Wed-nesday, and toddler storytime is at 10:30 observancesSouth Belt-Ellington Leader The Leader office will be closed Monday, july 4.

2 Deadline for paid ads will be july 5. Deadline for free items will be july Brook City MUD The offices of Clear Brook City MUD will be closed Monday, july 4. They will open for regular business on Tuesday, july 5, at 8 To avoid late penalties, payments may be left in the drop box located on the drive-through window side of the MUD Trash Service Residents living in the Clear Brook City MUD District will have regular trash service pick-up on Monday, july 4, Williams Library The library will be closed Monday, july 4, in observance of Independence Library The Bracewell Library will be closed Mon-day, july team seeks pictures The South Belt Area Swim Team will cel-ebrate its 40th anniversary season this sum-mer. E-mail any team pictures to so the team can incorporate them into its 4th of july parade 10-year reunion set Dobie Class of 2001 will hold its 10-year reunion Saturday, july 9, from 7:30 to midnight at Golfcrest Country Club in Pearland.

3 The last day to pre-order tickets for $60 is july 2. On july 9, tickets will be $75 cash at the door only. For more information, contact 30-year reunion set Milby Class of 1981 will hold its 30-year reunion Saturday, july 30, at the DoubleTree Hotel, downtown Houston. Register at Online registration is $50. At the door, it will be $60 per fundraiser set The Guadalupana Association of St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church will hold a scholarship fundraiser via a bowl-a-thon on Saturday, Aug. 6, from 3 to 6 at Armadilla Lanes, 10055 Fuqua. The community is invited to join in the fun and help raise funds by soliciting sponsors to bowl. Each bowler is to raise a minimum of $25 and will play three games. Prizes will be given to the fi rst, second, third, and highest games.

4 All funds collected should be turned in on Saturday, july 23. For more information, contact the Ruth Garay, Guadalupana president, at at St. Luke s St. Luke the Evangelist, 11011 Hall Road, will hold Vacation Bible School Week, Back to the Future, july 18-22 from 9 to noon. VBS is for chilldren age 4 years by Sept. 1, 2011, through fi fth grade. Open house will be Thursday, july 21, from 7 to 9 for friends and family of participants. For registration information, call the Faith Formation offi ce at 10U sell barbecue South belt Horns 10U will have a barbecue fundraiser Saturday, july 2, from noon to 3 Barbecue plates will be sold at Fat Pats, 10330 Blackhawk Blvd. Plates will include chicken and sausage and two sides. Proceeds will help raise money for the team s World Series trip to Gulfport, Miss.

5 , in july . To preorder, contact Coach Jesus Arenas at workshop June 30 METRO Vision Long Range Plan Work-shop will be held Thursday, June 30, from 6 to 8 at the Harris County Freeman Library, 16616 Diana Lane in Clear Lake. The New METRO will conduct the work-shop to encourage public input on transit. Information from the workshops will help with plans for a long-range, comprehensive METRO Vision for regional John OnakE-mail: 36, No. 21 June 30, 2011 Voice of Community-Minded People since 1976 Three people were arrested Sunday, June 26, following a crash on Hughes Road near the Beamer Road intersection. According to a witness, the above Honda Civic was traveling west on Hughes at a high rate of speed around 10:30 when it struck a pickup truck, a light pole and then a building. The car s two occupants fled the scene on foot, only to be apprehended a short time later by Houston police.

6 The car s female driver was charged with DWI. No one was injured. Photo submitted by Joe ConstanceThree arrested following crashAnnual parade , fi reworks set for july 4 The Annual South Belt Independence Day parade and fi reworks show are set to take place Monday, july 4. Now in its 24th year, the parade will begin at 10 and wind from Beverly Hills Interme-diate to San Jacinto College South. Participants are encouraged to arrive early, as the lineup will commence at 9 The theme for this year s event is Honoring Community Builders and will be a tribute to all individuals, organizations and businesses that have contributed to the South Belt community over the years. For the fi rst time in the event s history the Rev. Dr. John Morgan, senior pastor at Sage-mont Church, will take part in the parade .

7 Mor-gan will be driven by the Rev. Emory Gadd, as-sociate pastor at Sagemont, in a convertible Ford Thunderbird on loan from Jack Niday of Niday Funeral Home. The pair will be followed by a trailer with members of Buddy Griffi n s All-Star Youth Banjo Band performing traditional Ameri-can music. Sen. Mike Jackson is tentatively scheduled to participate in the event. The senator s schedule, however, is dependent on whether the special legislative session is taking place that day. Other elected offi cials taking part include Houston City Councilmember Wanda Adams and Judges Ru-ben Guerrero and Jo Ann Delgado. Several members of the Coast Guard will also be participating, pulling multiple military boats on trailers. Former Dobie swim coach and recent inductee to the Texas Senior Games Hall of Fame Dennis Shippey will take part in the parade , riding in a Corvette Indianapolis 500 pace car.

8 Also participating will be the H-Town Vaque-ros Trailriders. Numerous youth groups are scheduled to par-ticipate, including the Sagemont Cowboys and Cowgirls, the Dobie Lariaettes, the Dobie var-sity and junior varsity cheerleaders, the Dobie swim team, the South Belt Girls Softball Asso-ciation, Galaxy Cheer, the Dobie band, the South Belt Stars soccer team, multiple Little League teams, the South Belt Sharks swim team, Boy Scout troops and students from Fly Wellness and Movement Arts. Organizers are currently seeking musical acts to perform in the parade . Musicians from all community organizations, as well as groups of individuals, are encouraged to participate. A prize of 10 Schlitterbahn tickets will be awarded to the best musical performance. All residents, organizations and businesses are welcome to enter.

9 Participants are encouraged to decorate their vehicles and fl oats, as prizes will be awarded in various categories. Community and nonprofi t groups may sign up for the parade at no charge, unless they wish to be eligible for a prize. A $50 fee is charged for commercial entries. Noncommercial entries may enter the contest for $25. Entry forms are available on Page 3A or by e-mailing The forms are to be fi lled out and returned by july 2 to the Leader offi ce at 11555 Beamer, faxed to 281-481-5730 or e-mailed. For conve-nience, entry forms may be dropped through the mail slots on each side of the front offi ce display Later that evening, residents may view the an-nual fi reworks show at El Franco Lee Park, 9400 Hall Road. Funded by the Annual South Belt Spectacular Cookoff, the display is scheduled to begin at 9:30 Sagemont Church Sagemont Church will hold its Freedom Celebration Sunday, july 3, at the cross on its grounds along Beltway 8.

10 Baptism service will begin at 7 , to be followed by the Sagemont choir and orchestra presentation of I Believe in America and fi reworks display. The entire community is invited to attend. Residents may bring lawn chairs, blankets and picnic baskets (no alcoholic beverages). See ad on Page Coast Guard s Air Station Houston had a change-of-command ceremony Friday, June 17, at Ellington Field. Air Station Houston s 20 offi cers, 68 enlisted personnel and two civilians support the operation of three MH-65C Dolphin helicopters. Shown above are left to right, Cmdr. Eric Gleason, new commanding offi cer of Air Station Houston; Adm. Roy Nash, commander of the Eighth Coast Guard District; and Cmdr. Christopher Moss, outgoing commanding offi cer of Air Station change of command A South Belt man is facing multiple charges after driving for more than two miles with a par-tially dismembered hit-and-run victim in his passenger seat early Tuesday.