Celebration 2011 on July 4 at Martinsville Speedway will be filled with music, fun and fireworks, plus a way to help others with The Third Annual Fuel for Families Food Drive.
Everyone attending the event is urged to bring non-perishable food and personal care items and drop them off at one of several collection areas at entrance gates and in the carnival ride area.
The Third Annual Fuel for Families Food Drive is spearheaded by the United Way of Henry County and Martinsville with all items collected going to four area agencies: The Grace Network, The Community Storehouse, The Salvation Army and The Henry County Food Pantry. Volunteers from those four agencies, along with the United Way, will staff collection points on the night of Celebration.
“This is such an easy way for all of us help reach so many people in need in our area,” said Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell. “It’s no secret our area has taken so many economic hits over the last few years and its left a lot of people struggling. On a day when we are celebrating our freedom, let’s all help out our neighbors.”
Celebration 2011, featuring The Marshall Tucker Band, Mountain Heart and more than 15 children’s rides and games, is a free-to-the-public event in its 13th year.
With more than 10,000 jobs lost in the last decade, the Martinsville and Henry County area has seen unemployment figures as high as 22 percent in recent years. The results have been staggering. The most recent unemployment figures show Martinsville with a 16.7 unemployed rate and Henry County with an unemployment rate of 10.2 percent.
According to information supplied by the United Way, 37.5 percent of children in the City of Martinsville are living in poverty and 26.9 percent of children in Henry County are in poverty. The poverty level for a family of four in the United States is just over $22,000.
Also more than 7,600 people in the area qualify for food assistance.
“The statistics show that there are a lot of people, especially children, that are having a hard time putting food on the table,” said Campbell. “What we all do on July 4th can help so many, especially children.”
Items most needed are non-perishable foods, particularly beef stew, soups and canned vegetables, and personal care items such as deodorant and toothpaste.
Items may be dropped off at the Martinsville Speedway office in advance of July 4 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The children’s rides will open at 5 p.m. on July 4 and remain open until 11:30 p.m. Mountain Heart will take the stage at 7 p.m. followed by the Marshall Tucker Band at 8:30 p.m. The fireworks are scheduled for after the Marshall Tucker Band’s performance.
Sponsors for Celebration 2011 include: Ameristaff, Applied Felts, Bassett Furniture Industries, Bassett Office Supply, BB&T, Blue Ridge Aquaculture, Brad Parker Insurance Agency, Inc, Chamber Partnership for Economic Growth, Carter Bank & Trust, City of Martinsville, Collinsville Printing, Commonwealth Laminating, Cool Knobs and Pulls, Dillon Insurance, Dr. David Jones, DDS, Frith Construction, Gardner, Barrow, Sharpe and Reynolds, Henry County, Henry County Baptist Association, Hooker Furniture, Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce, Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville Speedway Children’s Foundation, Masterbrand Cabinets, Memorial Hospital, Millards Machinery, Nelson Automotive Group, River Community Bank, Shenandoah Furniture, Solutia, Southwestern Virginia Gas, Stanley Furniture, Steve Martin Trenching, Stone Dynamics, SunTrust Bank, Taco Bell, Tarheel Paper and Supply Co., The Dutch Inn, The Lester Group, TR Properties, Tri State Foam, Virginia Mirror, Warren Trucking, West Window and Zenith Logistics.
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