Plans are being finalized for the City of Levelland Centennial Celebration. April 11 will be a day of history, food, entertainment, fireworks, and fun.
The celebration will kick off downtown with the Centennial Parade. Parade line-up will begin at 9 a.m. The parade will start at 10:00am. The parade will begin near the former Citizen’s Bank Building and will travel east down Houston Street. The parade will end at the First Baptist Church.
“We are delighted and honored to have longtime resident and World War II veteran, Lloyd Parker, serving as our Parade Marshal,” said Mayor Breann Buxkemper.
As the official parade sponsor, Smith Auto Family will have the honor of providing Parker a ride in the parade.
Parade entries are still being accepted. The prizes for outstanding parade entries range from $250 to $750. Log on to the Levelland Centennial Celebration page at www.levellandtexas.org.
Once the parade has concluded, the entertainment stage at the Gazebo will come alive with music from South Plains College and beyond.
Riley Evyn will perform 10:30 to 11:45 a.m.; Jerry Serrano’s Latin Band “Sin Miedo” will perform 12 to12:45 p.m.; and Highway 114, with special guest Lonnie Joe Howell, will perform 1 to 3 p.m.
“We are celebrating the legacy of wonderful entertainment in our community. We will even have some folklorico dancers. We can’t wait for everyone to come enjoy the day,” said Buxkemper.
The celebration will feature a free hamburger and hot dog lunch, while supplies last. Organizers are prepared to feed the first 2,000 people.
“We are inviting everyone to our Community Cook-Out,” said Mayor Pro Tem Michael Stueart. “We are grateful to Hockley County Credit Union, Republic Services, Xcel Energy, Atmos Energy, Premier Water Works and the Noon Lions Club. They have all agreed to cook for us. We are lucky to be in a community with such great partners.”
There will also be an opportunity to see local history displays from churches and organizations at the Community Showcase at Studebaker Events.
“Many of our churches and civic groups are also celebrating milestone anniversaries and are invited to set up a table at Studebaker Events to show off their history,” said Stueart.
To find out more, log on to Levelland Centennial Celebration page at www.levellandtexas.org or email Levelland100@yahoo.com.
The downtown celebrations will wrap up around 3 p.m. and will reconvene at the Oxy Sports Complex on Equalizer Road at 6 p.m.
“We will have golf cart shuttles for those who need assistance traveling from the parking areas to the fun,” said Buxkemper.
The following food vendors will be set up: Faith BBQ, Hamburgerso, Sugar Rush, Slim Chickens, Lone Star Dough Mac. Additionally, 20 different vendors will also be set up in the parking lot, selling anything from t-shirts to arts and crafts.
Citizens are invited to bring chairs or a blanket, buy or bring a picnic supper, and enjoy music, yard games and fireworks. No pop-up tents, please. Spectators will also enjoy a birthday cupcake, while supplies last.
KLVT Radio will provide music for the evening. Meekness Childers and Lizzie Corley, both former Levelland High School All-State Choir members, will sing the “Star Spangled Banner” and Ruby Moultrie, Pastor of First United Methodist Church in Levelland will perform “Lift Every Voice” to open up the evening’s festivities. The grand finale will be a spectacular fireworks show produced by Renegade Wireline.
Local school children have gotten in on the fun by coloring the official Centennial Coloring Page. Those pages are displayed at Hockley County Credit Union, Taco Villa, Slim Chickens, Dickey’s BBQ and Swackhammer’s.
For further information, watch the Centennial Celebration page at www.levellandtexas.org, the City’s Facebook page or contact James Fisher at 806894-0113.