Page 6 - April - June, 2017 CityLine

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Our Proud Past & Bright Future

by Sonny Culbreth

For most of us reading this today, February 10-12, 2017, marked the dates for the Park’s once-in-a-
lifetime celebration. For three days we celebrated Litchfield Park’s proud past and our bright future. If
you were unable to attend, you missed a truly commemorative community event. Friday night’s activities
reflected on our rich past with a Mariachi Real De Jalisco performance; a guided trip down memory
lane highlighting the accomplishments and the vision of our founder Paul W. Litchfield; a look toward
the future of our community led by guest speakers from the Litchfield Park Historical Society, Litchfield
Elementary School District, The Wigwam, Luke Air Force Base, churches, and Boy Scouts. Memories
were shared from a long time resident whose father was our first dentist. The evening was capped off
with a performance from the Litchfield School District’s “A Little Drama” with a tribute to “park life.”
Following the stage presentations, everyone sang Happy Birthday to our community and enjoyed a
celebratory fireworks display and cake.

Saturday’s activities began with a Pageant of Flags; tracing the history of our flag from 1100 AD to the
present day flag. The flags were presented by Millennium High School Marching Band students and the
Luke Air Force Base Honor Guard. The remainder of the day was filled with additional history and a
display of talent from every school in the Litchfield School District. It reminded me just how bright our
future is with these talented young people leading the way.

Sunday marked the finale of the weekend as we celebrated with a fascinating Desert Knights Band concert
that played past and present country tunes. We enjoyed a visit from an Olympic Gold Medal pole vaulter
and a National Swim Team gold medalist who both shared that the Litchfield Park Recreation Center and
Staff were inspirational influences that helped shape them into champions. We ended the celebration just as we started, paying tribute to
rich Mexican heritage that played such an important role in settling our community. The Ballet Folkloric Esperanza Youth Dance Troop
performed a variety of Mexican dances to the delight of all who were present. If you were not able to attend you can still have a part of
the history. Stop by City Hall or the Recreation Center and pick up a free copy of the Litchfield Park History commemorative magazine.

6 | Apr-Jun 2017 Issue litchﬁeld-park.org

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