'Come home time'

<p class="p1">EDITOR'S NOTE: See more Steeleville 4th of July Celebration coverage inside the print edition of the Randolph County Herald Tribune and Steeleville Ledger.

<p class="p1">As the 150th Steeleville 4th of July Celebration kicks off tomorrow, business owners and city officials are eagerly anticipating large crowds for the four-day event.

<p class="p1">"We're looking forward to the fact we may have a record number of people coming into Steeleville," said Steeleville Mayor Bob Sutton. "I know the Friends of the Library have sold about 700 T-shirts just to commemorate it and, obviously, the (American) Legion is doing a lot of events.

<p class="p1">"We're looking at having a great celebration here in town. There are several classes that are having reunions based around the event."

<p class="p1">Downtown, MiCasa Sub Shop - which opened its Steeleville location in April - is preparing for an influx of customers at its spot at 176 W. Broadway St.

<p class="p1">Owner Nina Hille told the newspaper it will be "all hands on deck" this holiday weekend.

<p class="p1">"I just anticipate being very busy," she said. "That's what I hope for. Those things are tricky, though.

<p class="p1">"You think you have a large crowd, but you've got the picnic down the street where people are waiting for their fish sandwich, myself included. I like a good, ol' fried, squared fish sandwich."

<p class="p1">MiCasa will also be participating in Monday's parade and will be opening early to serve breakfast that day.

<p class="p1">"We are going to walk in the parade and we will be open at 9 a.m. so we can serve breakfast," Hille said. "We will serve breakfast from 9 to 11 and then go to our regular menu from 11 to 3."

<p class="p1">MiCasa will be open from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. today and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. The business will be closed on Sunday.

<p class="p1">"I'm looking forward to meeting new people," Hille said. "Just seeing what they think about us and being involved.

<p class="p1">"I've never been in this parade, so I'm excited about that. That's exciting to be in a parade where there's going to be a lot of people here."

<p class="p1">Nearby, Dave's Food Center has been putting the finishing touches on its expansion, with a ribbon cutting scheduled to take place on July 8.

<p class="p1">"We just got a few minor things we're trying to get tied up, but for the most part we're done," said Dave's Food Center owner Dave Mulholland. "We're waiting on aisle signs and a countertop for the service desk and now, we're trying to put things back in place."

<p class="p1">Mulholland said part of the preparation for the 4th of July Celebration is making sure the store has enough product to meet demand.

<p class="p1">"Just trying to make sure we've got enough of everything for everybody," he said. "Just gearing up for what's normally a pretty busy weekend for us."

<p class="p1">Steeleville Police Chief/Village Supervisor Lyn Thies said preparing for the Celebration - from the standpoint of the city's maintenance department - starts about four weeks before the event.

<p class="p1">"We actually start three to four weeks before and the last week or so it's pretty steady," he said. "We try to edge all the sidewalks, the fire department came out on Monday and washed the sidewalks down."

<p class="p1"> But the biggest X-factor in the success of any large-scale event is weather and a chance of rain is in the forecast for Saturday through Wednesday, with the potential for heavy rainfall on Saturday night and Sunday night.

<p class="p1">"The big thing is it always depends on weather," Sutton said. "People will tolerate hot and dry, but they don't tolerate rain."

<p class="p1">Sutton was asked his favorite memories of the Celebration.

<p class="p1">"Going back years ago, I remember the Car Shows were an event way back when," he said. "It's been such a change over the years.

<p class="p1">"I can remember when the fireworks were set off one at a time because they were lit by hand and now they're run by electronics. We all used to laugh about how slow the fireworks were."

<p class="p1">Sutton also referred to the event as "come home time."

<p class="p1">"Personally, I'm looking forward to having my daughter and grandkids here," he said. "They're looking forward to family and friends coming in, class reunions and the barbeques.

<p class="p1">"I think the 4th of July Celebration has really become 'come home time.'"