Marshall Street Church to light up city skies

By Lea Ann Stewart (Contact) | Alex City Outlook

Published Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Marshall Street Church will kick-off Fourth of July festivities early with their fifth annual Patriotic Celebration Friday.

“This is something we started to bring something to the city and it has grown each year,” the Rev. Rick Levell, pastor of Marshall Street Church, said. “We aren’t doing it as just something to promote our church, it’s a community project to promote God and our country.”

The celebration will begin at 6 p.m. on the field in front of Benjamin Russell High School and include a special time of promoting God and country through prayer and the presentation of flags as well as performances by gospel groups, including The Apostles, Fresh Anointing, Perfect Peace and Pierced Holy.

“The big thing this year is we have gone from doing the big fireworks bought at stands to a Class A fireworks show by Pyro Productions, the same pyrotechnics company that does Thunder on the Mountain in Birmingham,” Levell said.

Levell has hosted similar events at every church he has served and has seen the Patriotic Celebration grow each year on Marshall Street. He said approximately 250 attended the celebration the first year, and last year between 1,000 to 1,500 attended and countless others watched the fireworks show.

“I had people from Hillabee Towers tell me they watched the show last year from their windows,” Levell said. “This year they will shoot much higher than ever before and people can even sit in their back yards and watch.”

Seating is not provided, so those attending need to bring chairs or blankets and enjoy the evening.

“We want everyone to come out and have a good time and celebrate God and country with us,” Levell said. “It’s good clean, family fun.”

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