Wednesday, July 2, 2003
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Wednesday, July 2, 2003 |
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Gov. Perdue to lead PTC parade By J. FRANK LYNCH
Gov. Sonny Perdue, accepting an invitation to "come on down and see our parade sometime," will ride at the head of Peachtree City's annual Fourth of July procession on Friday, it was confirmed this week. Mayor Steve Brown said Monday that he mentioned the city's unique parade to the governor during a meeting several weeks ago of the Metro Atlanta Mayors Association, but didn't think anymore about it. The governor's staff called the city recreation department last Wednesday to confirm his participation, and a surprised Randy Gaddo, director of Leisure Services, answered the phone. With little more than a week to go, the parade lineup was pretty much set. What to do? What else could Gaddo and parade coordinator Susan Taylor do? When the governor wants to come be in your parade, you make room. Perdue, the first sitting state chief executive to participate in the colorful procession and the first Republican governor since reconstruction, has been named co-grand marshal, sharing the duties with local members of the U.S. military recently returned from combat. He'll be riding in a convertible BMW, quickly procured, said Gaddo, and not a golf cart. While no one will predict, Perdue is likely to get an earful from the thousands of residents expected to line the parade route, many upset over a state appeals court ruling that puts the brakes on under-16 golf cart drivers. Gaddo admits he's not sure what to expect in the way of golf cart protests, if any. He's more concerned that the governor feel welcome and the parade go off without a hitch, seeing as how it's been moved to an entirely different part of town for the first time in decades, Peachtree Parkway south. "We're thrilled that the governor and his wife, Mary, will be joining us this year," Gaddo said. " I believe he'll find our parade like no other he's been in." Lynn Cromer of the governor's office said Perdue's advisors were fully aware of and briefed on the golf cart controversy, but that it had no bearing on his decision to come to Peachtree City on Friday. "He's there for the July 4th parade and no other reason," Cromer said. Brown agreed. "Oh, no, it's not related to that at all," said the mayor. "This is a big Republican community. It's close enough to Atlanta that he can participate in a number of high-profile events around the metro area." Indeed, Perdue's agenda for Friday will take him all over the region: Peachtree Road Race at 7 a.m., Peachtree City's parade at 9 a.m., the WSB-TV Salute 2 America Parade downtown at 1, then fireworks at Lenox Square later that night. For more information on the parade, see the accompanying story or contact the Recreation Department at 770-631-2542.
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