ARCHER LODGE — The community came together to celebrate the Fourth of July Saturday and made an all day event that ended with a blast.

Citizens of all ages came and enjoyed a day that began with a 5K Fun Run/Walk at 8 a.m., and to the pleasure of all, shaded areas were provided — a big plus after last year’s sweltering heat.

The parade began with a mix of fire trucks from the Archer Lodge Fire Department to those from the various surrounding communities and towns that sent theirs to the parade. Children of all ages filled the single road between White Oak Baptist Church and the community center and circled the block, which ended at the center.

The parade yielded everything from bicycles to four wheelers, horses, tractors, and trailer floats loaded with families, and the 100-plus attendees lining either side of the road were undoubtedly ready to yell, catch candy, and celebrate the nation’s 233rd birthday.

When the park opened things kicked off with big slide games, hot dogs, fries, barbecue plates, snow cones, homemade ice cream, and, appropriately, the dispensing of Archer Lodge T-shirts.

People gathered at the amphitheater for a mid-day patriotic salute honoring veterans — old and new community members — of all armed forces from the Archer Lodge community. A skit was performed by the young people of the community in which they were interviewed by David Letterman (Mike Gordon) before a community choir reminded everyone attending of the many soldiers who have given up much of their lives to protect their homeland.

A horseshoe tournament began at 1 p.m. and concluded four hours later with Brandi Hall, of Erwin, winning over runner-up Jeremy Smith, of Wendell. Hall landed in the losers’ bracket, but pitched the shoes to the stake twice to win over Smith.

The children began to wander onto the ball field as the Archer Lodge Fire Department set up for the annual Splashdown — and in full Archer Lodge style. As the children played, parents and Scout leaders joined in on the fun.

Bingo, a cake walk and pony rides were also lined up for people of all ages to enjoy. Of course, large oak trees provided enough shade for everyone to stay cool and the result was a given over a long day of activities; children napped while others ate, played or simply took pictures.

The day ended with a Little Miss Archer Lodge pageant with fourteen girls participating from Kindergarten to third grade. Georgia Price danced off with the title of Miss Archer Lodge with Madeline Boykin taking second place.

Winners of the 5K Fun Run/Walk were as follows: Mile walk: Pamela Bennett with a time of 14:25; Mile run: Christopher Godwin – 6:40, Rachel Witkin – 7:49, and Rachel Bailey – 7:49; 5K run (men): John Musgrave – 18:20, Cody Beamer – 18:21, and Dylan McCoy – 18:50; (women): Brynn VanScharick – 19:40, Ragan Schmidt – 22:13, and Alicia Matkowsky – 26:00; Masters – Don Gillespie – 19:46, and Marlin Barton – 22:02.

Matt Mulhollem won the title of Archer Lodge Mayor over Blair Barnes by a count of 88-76.

Winners of the Pig-Cook-Off were also recognized. John and Johnnie Kerney, of Goldsboro, took the gold while Tucker and Hunter Barnes, of Archer Lodge, took second and Larry Kristoff’s Law Offices took third.

Winning the big prizes of the day were 8-year-old Ty Logan Medlin, of Archer Lodge, who won a John Deere Tractor, while Blake Helmer of Clayton won a gas grill, and Jessie and Linda Price of Knightdale won $100.

The big blast came with a 30-minute firework display as cars filled the parking lot and lined the roads surrounding the community to end what turned out to be another excellent, family fun day in Archer Lodge.