Close to 10,000 people came to Frontier Park in Prosper on Saturday to get a head start of the birthday of America with a great selection of activities for all ages. From bounce houses and large rolling balls in the Kids’ Zone to live music, a large selection of trucks and a car show capped off with a stellar fireworks show.
Denise Parsons said she and her family have lived in Prosper 11 years and she remembers well the beginning of Pride in the Sky. “It has grown tremendously,” she said. “What used to be a little get together has turned into this huge, big deal.” With all the growth and additions to Pride in the Sky, Denise says her favorite part is still the fireworks.
Sponsored by Cedarbrook Media and the Town of Prosper along with a number of others who’ve come together to make this a reality for the community, Pride in the Sky this year spread out to cover several acres of Frontier Park. Live music continued throughout the event from the pavilion and vendors lined the areas for convenient shopping opportunities.
Celina residents Jerry and Carissa Ledesma were there with their daughter Isadora who is almost 2. “This is our first time here,” Jerry Ledesma said. “This is awesome because there are so many different things going on and it’s all spread out. We will definitely come back to this next year.”
Event organizers Heather and Jason Reynolds, publishers and owners of Cedarbrook Media, have been putting on events for several years. They started Pride in the Sky four years ago, and are excited to see what it has become. “It is so exciting to watch the evolution of this event – we keep adding to it each year to make it bigger and better,” said Heather. “We enjoy working with our sponsors and the Town of Prosper. We wouldn’t be able to do this for the people of Prosper without all of them.”
The Charity Softball game is one of the event highlights. The Prosper Education Foundation puts a team together each year to take on Cornerstone Assistance Network of North Central Texas. Assistant Fire Chief Stuart Blasingame has served as umpire and, as the game is about good-natured fun, some of his rulings fit into the same category. And for a donation to the cause, children of the players are allowed to do the running around the bases.
The softball game is what kicks off the festivities each year for Pride in the Sky. The Fire Department color guard braves the heat in full-dress uniforms to honor the U.S. Flag during the singing of the National Anthem, this year such by Prosper High School graduating senior Zach McConnell. Then Fire Chief Ronnie Tucker threw out the first pitch and the festivities were underway.
Joyce Godwin | Joyce@CedarbrookMedia.com
