Hours, weeks, and months of planning will come to fruition this weekend when the gates at Cheadle Lade open at 2 p.m. for the Star-Spangled Celebration.

The Fourth of July celebration is organized by the Lebanon Community Foundation, the non-profit which owns Cheadle Lake Park. LCF finances and operates the event. The planning process for the Star-Spangled Celebration starts in the fall, with the finance committee working to find sponsors for the event, which at that time is still more than nine months away. In January, the marketing, program and operations committees meet and evaluate their workload. With just six weeks to the event, weekly meetings are held to ensure the event runs smoothly. A committee of six core volunteers manage the event.

"Basically what we do during the course of the event is to make mental notes and write things down that we would like to do different the next time around to make things better," explained Warren Beeson, LCF executive director.

Sweat and elbow grease are key ingredients that keep the event going strong after five years, although just how many volunteers help with the celebration is up for interpretation.

"Really it just depends on how far you want to cast the net - I couldn't even begin to count how many Optimists, Altrusans, Rotarians, Moose Lodge members, and other people are involved," Beeson explained.

For example, he works with a volunteer whose only job is to manage the website.

"He has virtually no other affiliation with our organization, but it's something that has to get done and he does it. We have a lot of those kind of people out there," he said.

Last weekend, volunteers prepped the grounds for the estimated 5,000 people who will attend the celebration. "There's a lot of mowing, irrigation work and clean-up," explained Terry Deacon, operations manager.< B>

< B>Every year new booths are added to the line-up and volunteers have to reconfigure the entire event so everything fits and is strategically placed, he said. More than a dozen food vendors will be at the site this year. Additionally, several game booths are on-site for children, as well as games for kids run by the Lebanon Boys & Girls Club. On Thursday, sponsor banners will be hung, fences moved, and Honey Buckets placed, all with the time and effort of a handful of volunteers.

A large number of volunteers is exactly how Beeson and the other committee members envisioned this event when they first started it five years ago. "We wanted to involve community groups. We made a special effort from the beginning," he said.

In addition to volunteers, the event couldn't be held without the financial support from businesses.

"Most of the financial support has been from Lebanon area businesses," Beeson said.

Weyerhauser also plays the role as the title sponsor of the celebration. The first year the event was held, 2004, the budget was about $23,000. Now in it's fifth year, the celebration's budget has more than doubled to about $48,000.

The fireworks show, which starts at 10 p.m., will feature the Wall of Fire again.

"If you haven't seen it, it's absolutely astounding," Deacon said. "It shoots up and is about 100 feet long, somewhere between 15 to 30 feet in the air, and as soon as you see the flames you're hit with heat," he described. "Everyone prepped me for it last year, but I still wasn't ready for it."

"Our fireworks show is second to none," Beeson said.

The fireworks budget increased this year by about 25 percent, from $8,000 to $10,000. Fireworks are set off at the event site, and spectators have a close view of the show.

Another new addition this year will be a KGAL/KSHO simulcast for the fireworks. People will be able to tune in and hear music and narration during the fireworks show.

"I think it will work great. It will be nice for people to hear the audio in time with the fireworks," Beeson said.

Two stages at the park will showcase karaoke singers and a Patriotic Pops performance by the Willamette Valley Concert Band, which starts at 8 p.m. on the main stage. A children's karaoke contest will begin at 2 p.m. on the showcase stage, and open karaoke will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. An adult karaoke contest will take place on the main stage from noon to 3 p.m., with finals starting at 5:30 p.m.

Outside of music and fireworks, the event still offers more. Try your luck on a mechanical bull, conquer a climbing wall or, if you're brave enough, try the bungee drop.

Each year the total number of visitors to the site increases.

"Last year we had about 1,000 cars with about four to five each car. I think we had an excess of 5,000 people come through last year," Deacon said.

The cost of $8 per vehicle for parking at the event is the only entrance fee.

All of the monies earned go back into the infrastructure at Cheadle Lake. The Lebanon Community Foundation plans eventually to turn the land over to the city. The vision for the area is to create a destination site with sports fields, a gazebo, and other features that can support large or small events.

While the event is something fun and inexpensive for community members, Beeson hopes all will keep in mind what the Fourth of July stands for.

"I'm a little old-fashioned here, but I think that patriotism is something we need to work on so we don't forget and that celebrating our Independence Day is something that's important for all Americans," he said. "We need to remember that's what it's all about."