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I'M THE DIRECTOR OF THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF SPECIAL EVENTS.
UM, WE'RE EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THIS YEAR'S SHOW, JULY 4TH.
UH, BUT FIRST OFF, YOU KNOW, IF I CAN INTRODUCE THE MAYOR OF THIS WONDERFUL, FABULOUS CITY MAYOR JOHN WHITMEYER.
AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR DEPARTMENT.
UH, ONCE AGAIN, YOU'RE SHOWING US HOW GREAT, UH, LEADERSHIP IS UNDER YOUR, UH, DIRECTION.
UH, YOU KNOW, AS ONE OF THE ENJOYMENTS OF BEING MAYOR OF THE CITY OF HOUSTON, 2.3 MILLION PEOPLE AND MILLIONS MORE THAT WE REPRESENT IN THE REGION, ONE OF THE REAL PLEASURES AND HONORS IS TO INVITE PEOPLE TO COME INTO HOUSTON AND ENJOY A SAFE EVENT, WHETHER IT'S A SPORTS VENUE, WHETHER IT'S AN ACADEMIC EVENT, BUT NOTHING COMPARES WITH HOUSTON'S OWN FREEDOM OVER TEXAS.
FIREWORKS DISPLAY, SPECIAL PEOPLE LE LEAVE THERE THINKING ABOUT NEXT YEAR.
I'VE BEEN GOING AND ATTENDING SINCE I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL.
AND SO THIS YEAR WILL BE ANOTHER GREAT PRODUCTION.
AND LET ME EMPHASIZE, OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY IS TO BE SAFE.
HAVE FUN, STAY HYDRATED, BRING YOUR FRIENDS, YOUR NEIGHBORS.
THERE WILL BE TRAFFIC, BUT IT'S GONNA BE FUN.
AND I GET THE PLEASURE TODAY OF ANNOUNCING OUR ENTERTAINERS, LEE RICE AND ASHLEY MCBRIDE TO NATIONALLY RENOWNED COUNTRY WESTERN SINGERS.
WE'LL HAVE OTHER STAGES FOR LOCAL DIVERSE TALENT.
SO I'M REAL EXCITED ABOUT THE PREPARATION THAT'S GONE INTO THIS.
UH, RICARDO AND YOUR CITY EMPLOYEES ARE PROFESSIONALS.
WE ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO COME.
SPEND AS MUCH TIME AS YOU CAN.
IT'LL BE HOT, BUT ALSO WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE.
WE ALL KNOW THE HIGHEST PRIORITY OF ALL OF US IS TO HAVE A SAFE EXPERIENCE FOR OUR FAMILIES AND RETURN BACK TO OUR HOMES TO GO TO WORK AND SCHOOL AND PLAY THE NEXT DAY.
WE COULDN'T DO THIS WITHOUT SPONSORS.
AND I WANT TO THANK THE SPONSORS.
THERE'S A PRETTY GOOD SIZED LIST, BUT THEY ALSO KNOW HOW IMPORTANT HOUSTON RESIDENTS ARE.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A GREAT CITY AND GREAT PEOPLE.
WE HAVE CHALLENGES LIKE OTHER MAJOR CITIES, BUT WE'RE MEETING OUR CHALLENGES.
AND ONE WAY WE'RE DOING IT IS OUR COLLABORATION WITH OUR SPONSORS AND OTHER LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT, AND THINK CHANNEL 13 FOR BEING A, FACILITATING THE COVERAGE OF THAT EVENT AND THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.
BUT I WANNA THANK SILVER EAGLE BUD LIGHT IN PARTICULAR.
PEPPER'S, PRESIDENT SOUTHWEST AIRLINE METRO.
I COULD GO RIGHT THROUGH THE LIST.
I'LL LET RICARDO GO DOWN, THE PEOPLE THAT HE'S WORKING WITH TO SUCCESSFULLY PRESENT THIS EVENT.
WE'RE KNOWN FOR THIS EVENT, AND, UH, PRETTY SPECIAL.
NOT SURE ANY OTHER MAJOR CITY IN AMERICA CAN BRING THE DIVERSITY OF PEOPLE TOGETHER, PRODUCED BY CITY GOVERNMENT AND ITS CORPORATE SPONSORS.
AND, UH, I'M PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT IT.
SO, RICARDO, I'LL YIELD TO YOU AT THIS TIME.
AS YOU SAID, WITHOUT THE, UH, COLLABORATION AND HELP OF SPONSORS, WE CAN'T MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
AND, UH, HERE TODAY WE HAVE, UH, SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF DR.
STEVEN SSON IS THE, UH, IMMEDIATE CONSUMPTION MANAGER.
PEPPER, A THRILL TO CELEBRATE OUR 12TH YEAR PARTNERING WITH THE, WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND FREEDOM OVER TEXAS.
A BIG THANK YOU TO THE MAYOR AND THE ENTIRE SPECIAL EVENTS TEAM FOR MAKING THIS CELEBRATION, TRULY ONE OF A KIND IN THE DR.
GET READY FOR A BRAND NEW EXPERIENCE.
IT'S A BOLD NEW TWIST, COMBINING THE SIGNATURE DR.
PEPPER FLAVOR WITH THE RICH SWEETNESS OF BLACKBERRY.
IT'S A MUST TRY THIS SUMMER, BUT THAT'S NOT ALL.
WE'RE TURNING UP THE ENERGY FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY WITH GHOST ENERGY AND C FOUR ENERGY, THE
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OFFICIAL ENERGY DRINKS OF SUMMER.WHETHER YOU'RE HERE FOR THE FIREWORKS, THE FUN, WE'VE GOT YOU COVERED.
AND OF COURSE, NO SUMMER CELEBRATION IS COMPLETE WITHOUT A CLASSIC TREAT.
PEPPER FLOAT FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY TO COME OUT AND ENJOY.
SO COME JOIN US FOR THE FLAVOR ZONE, FOR LIVE MUSIC GAMES, AND A ICE COAT DR.
PEPPER, AS WE CELEBRATE THE 4TH OF JULY AND TRUE TEXAS STYLE.
IF YOU DIDN'T CATCH THAT, WE DO HAVE DR.
PEPPER FLOATS OVER HERE AT THE HOUSE, RIGHT? SO NOW, UH, I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE SARAH SILVA, UH, WITH, UH, SILVER EAGLE DISTRIBUTORS HOUSTON.
MAYOR, UH, AS A FOUNDING SPONSOR OF FREEDOM OVER TEXAS, BUD LIGHT IS EXTREMELY PROUD TO BE INVOLVED IN HOUSTON'S OFFICIAL 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION FOR THE 39TH STREET YEAR.
WE ARE EXCITED TO HOST THOUSANDS OF HOUSTONIANS IN THE BUD LIGHT AMPHITHEATER AND ENJOY SOME COLD BEVERAGES AT THE BUD LIGHT BAYOU BEER GARDEN, WHICH IS THE BEST LOCATION TO TAKE IN ALL THE MUSIC, FUN, AND OF COURSE, FIREWORKS.
AGAIN, THIS YEAR WE WILL HAVE THESE LIMITED EDITION BUDWEISER CANS TO SUPPORT THE FOLDS OF HONOR FOUNDATION, WHICH IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT PROVIDES EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS FOR FAMILIES OF US MILITARY PERSONNEL THAT WERE KILLED OR WOUNDED WHILE SERVING OUR COUNTRY.
ON BEHALF OF SILVER HU, SILVER EAGLE HOUSTON, AND OUR 1100 EMPLOYEES, I WOULD LIKE TO ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO ENJOY RESPONSIBLY AND MAKE PLANS FOR A SAFE RETURN HOME FROM WHEREVER YOU'LL BE CELEBRATING THIS INDEPENDENCE DAY.
I WISH I WOULD SAY THAT THERE'S BEER HERE TO THE HOUSE, RIGHT FOR YOU, BUT THAT IS AT THE SHOW ON JULY 4TH.
BUT, UH, I WANTED TO, UH, ALSO EXTEND A THANK YOU TO A NEW ANCHOR SPONSOR, UH, THOMAS J. HENRY LAW.
UNFORTUNATELY, THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO ATTEND, BUT ON BEHALF OF THEM, UM, WITH THE FIRM'S GROWTH ACROSS TEXAS AND THE NEWEST OFFICE NOW IN HOUSTON, THEY'RE THRILLED TO CONNECT AND BE PART OF THE, UH, CITY OF HOUSTON'S, UH, FREEDOM OVER TEXAS, AND, UH, SPONSOR THE FIREWORKS DISPLAY.
ALSO, WANTED TO GIVE OUT A QUICK, UH, THANK YOU TO ALL THE SPONSORS I MENTIONED WITHOUT THE, THE, THE COLLABORATION AND HELP FROM ALL THE SPONSORS.
YOU KNOW, UH, THIS EVENT WOULD NOT HAPPEN.
UH, AND UNFORTUNATELY, I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT 30 OF THOSE YEARS THAT I WAS ACTUALLY PHYSICALLY WORKING THAT EVENT.
SO NO BREAK FOR ME, UH, OTHER SPONSORS TO THANK, UH, AIR TECH SOUTHWEST AIRLINES RADIO ONE, WE SEE THEM HERE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR COLLABORATION, UH, WITHOUT YOU, UH, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, WE COULDN'T DO THIS.
SHAKE SHACK, MCDONALD'S, VERIZON, UH, AMERICAN FURNITURE WAREHOUSE, UH, OUR FANTASTIC SPORTS TEAMS, XXFL, THE ROUGHNECKS ASTROS, UH, THE DYNAMO DASH AND THE ROCKETS.
UH, THANK YOU MAYOR FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ACTUALLY, AND YOUR TRUST IN US.
WE'RE HERE TO, TO SHOW WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO AND, UH, CARRY HOUSTON HIGH IN OUR SHOULDERS, UH, AND ARE ALSO, UH, OUR SPECIAL EVENTS TEAM, MOST STAFF THAT, UH, WITHOUT THEM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THE EVENTS, UH, WOULD NOT HAPPEN.
UM, WITH THAT, UH, I CAN SHOW, I'D LIKE TO ASK IF WE CAN, UH, SHOW THE 32ND SPOT THAT WE HAVE, UH, ON THE VIDEO CLIP.
AND, UH, AND THANK EVERYBODY FOR COMING.
THERE WILL BE QUESTIONS AFTERWARDS.
JULY 4TH, CELEBRATE AMERICA AT HOUSTON'S OFFICIAL INDEPENDENCE DAY EVENT, FREEDOM OVER TEXAS.
PEPPER FLAVOR ZONE, BUD LIGHT, BAYOU BASH, ALL AMERICAN KIDS ZONE, LIBERTY PARK, AND A FIREWORKS FINALE, LIGHTING UP THE NIGHT FREEDOM OVER TEXAS, JULY 4TH AT ELEANOR TINSLEY PARK IN DOWNTOWN HOUSTON.
UH, NOW IF, UH, IF I CAN ASK THE SPONSORS, THE MAYOR, IF WE COULD TAKE A GROUP PICTURE REAL QUICK AND, UH, AND AGAIN, WE CAN GO THROUGH SOME, OR I CAN ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS IF THERE'S ANY, I KNOW WE HAVE SPONSOR, BUT I'D LIKE TO SPEAK TO OUR SPANISH SPEAKER.
IF WE HAVE, UH, ANY SPANISH STATIONS THAT WOULD LIKE, UH, OKAY.
JULIO MCBRIDE, EAGLE DISTRIBUTORS, UH,
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DR.PEPPER, UH, SOUTHWEST AIRLINES METRO, THE FESTIVAL.
GRA, ANY QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTIONS? NO, SIR.
ARE YOU ALL EXPECTING A NUMBER OF PEOPLE? YEAH, NO, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
SO, YOU KNOW, PROUDLY I SAY THAT JULY 4TH HAS ALWAYS MET, MET ITS MARK, WHEN IT COMES TO THE ATTENDANCE, WE, WE'VE HAD A RANGE BETWEEN 35 TO 45,000 PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, AND SO WE EXPECT HITTING THOSE RECORD NUMBERS OF, WE TYPICALLY DO 30 PLUS THOUSAND PEOPLE, IS A LOT, UH, WITH THE SURROUNDING AREAS.
YOU KNOW, WE DO GET A LOT OF FOLKS THAT CAMP OUT BETWEEN MEMORIAL DRIVE, WA DRIVE, JUST TO SEE THE FIREWORKS.
SO I THINK WITHIN THE SURROUNDING AREAS, WE WE'RE CLOSE TO A HUNDRED THOUSAND PEOPLE WITHIN THE IMMEDIATE, YOU KNOW, MILE.
UM, YOU KNOW, SO WE, WE DO EXPECT TO HIT THOSE NUMBERS.
AND YOU MENTIONED THE TEMPERATURES THERE.
YOU KNOW, SO IT'S HOT, IT'S HOUSTON, YOU KNOW, THE MOST RECOMMENDED, UH, YOU KNOW, ADVICE THAT I COULD SAY IS, YOU KNOW, BE PREPARED.
WEAR LIGHT CLOTHING, WEAR A HAT, UH, YOU KNOW, SUNSCREEN, UH, SUNBLOCK, HYDRATE, HYDRATE, HYDRATE.
YOU KNOW, WE DO OFFER, THERE'S A LOT OF VENDORS ON SITE THAT OFFER DIFFERENT LEVELS OF REFRESHMENTS, UH, SODAS OF COURSE, BUT WATER IS DEFINITELY THE KEY THING THAT SOMEONE NEEDS TO DO.
IF YOU'RE BRINGING CHILDREN, MAKE SURE YOUR CHILDREN ARE DRESSED APPROPRIATELY AND YET YOU HAVE COVERAGE FOR THEM.
WE DO ALLOW UMBRELLAS THROUGH THE, THROUGH THE GATE, AS LONG AS THEY'RE UNDER 42 INCHES.
UH, LAWN CHAIRS ARE PERMITTED, UH, OF COURSE NO GLASS, NO OUTSIDE FOOD AND DRINK.
UH, WE DO HAVE SECURITY THAT, UH, MANAGES THE ENTRANCES AND THEY CONTROL ALL THAT ACCESS.
SO IF THERE'S A MEDICAL NEED THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU NEED TO BRING IN CERTAIN ITEMS, MEDICATION AND SUCH LIKE THAT, THAT'S FINE.
JUST DISCUSS THAT WITH THE, UH, THE SUPERVISOR OR THE SECURITY AT THE GATE.
HEY, MOSQUITO SPRAY IS A PLUS.
WE ARE AT THE EDGE OF A BAYOU.
WE'VE HAD SOME GOOD RAIN LATELY IN WHICH WE APPRECIATE THAT FOR OUR LAWNS.
BUT, UH, BUT DEFINITELY MOSQUITO SPRAY, CLOUD OF SAFETY QUESTIONS THAT SHE CAN HEAR.
I KNOW SAFETY IS ALWAYS A TOP CONCERN.
UH, NO ONE BETTER TO SPEAK TO, UH, BEING PROACTIVE, UH, WITH YOUR SAFETY THAN OUR POLICE CHIEF.
BUT LET ME JUST ASSURE WHEN THE, THE FIRE CHIEF WOULD BE HERE.
THIS IS ONE OF MY REAL PROUD MOMENTS TO INTRODUCE THE, THE POLICE CHIEF, BECAUSE I ALWAYS SAY WHEREVER HE IS, HE'S FIGHTING CRIME.
BUT TODAY HE'S GONNA TELL US, UH, THE PREPARATION FOR THE FREEDOM OVER TEXAS AND HOW WE CAN ALL WORK TOGETHER.
AND I KNOW FOR A FACT HE'S GONNA SAY, IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING, BUT, UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A SAFE EVENT.
CHIEF, WHY DON'T YOU TELL US, YES, SIR.
YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT THE SUCCESS OF THIS GREAT EVENT, HARD, HARD ACT TO FOLLOW.
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY.
BUT NO, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE SUPER EXCITED.
IT'S, IT'S KIND OF A MARQUEE EVENT FOR THE COMMUNITY.
UH, SO FREEDOM OVER TEXAS, IT IS A BIG DEAL FOR US.
SO AS A POLICE DEPARTMENT, WE'RE FOCUSED ON ALWAYS MAKING SURE THAT OUR COMMUNITY IS SAFE, THAT OUR KIDDOS ARE SAFE.
YOU ALREADY HEARD ALL THAT, THE HYDRATION AND ALL THAT STUFF.
BUT MAKE SURE, JUST A SUGGESTION, IF YOU HAD LITTLE KIDS, MAYBE PUT A LITTLE PIECE OF PAPER IN THEIR POCKET WITH A CELL NUMBER.
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WITH WHEN THEY GET LOST.BUT WE'LL HAVE PLENTY OF STAFF.
UH, WE'LL HAVE STAFF, UH, THAT'LL BE DRESSED IN PLAIN CLOTHES IN THE CROWDS.
UH, WE'LL HAVE STAFF, WE'LL HAVE OUR DRONE OPERATORS THERE.
SO THIS ISN'T SOMETHING THAT WE DO EVERY NOW AND THEN.
SO WE'RE FOCUSED ON MAKING SURE THAT THE COMMUNITY COMES IN AND ENJOYS, UH, THE FREEDOM OVER TEXAS ENJOYS THE HOLIDAY TO OUR OUTSIDE PEOPLE THAT COME EVERY DAY.
WE WANT THEM TO TRAVEL INTO HOUSTON AND, UH, JUST PACK YOUR PATIENTS.
'CAUSE THEY'LL BE, IT'LL BE CROWDED.
UH, THE TRAFFIC WILL BE CONGESTED A LITTLE BIT, BUT WE'LL DO OUR VERY BEST TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE IN AND OUT WITHOUT ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT.
BUT KNOW THAT WE'LL HAVE AMPLE STAFF.
IT'S ONE OF OUR MARQUEE EVENTS, LIKE I SAID EARLIER.
SO WE WANT TO THANK OBVIOUSLY THE SPONSORS AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO A FANTASTIC EVENT.
UM, AND HOPEFULLY, UH, A LITTLE BIT OF COOL WEATHER.
NOT, NOT LIKE IT'S FORECASTED TO BE, BUT WE'RE FOCUSED ON MAKING SURE THAT YOU'RE SAFE.
UH, AND LIKE I SAID, IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING IN THE CROWD, UM, NOTHING IS INSIGNIFICANT, BUT WE'LL HAVE STAFF, WE'LL HAVE A COMMAND CENTER THERE TO HAVE, UH, THE COMMUNITY FEEL SAFE.
AND YOU'LL SEE AN ABUNDANCE OF POLICE MARKED AND OF, OF COURSE, OUR PLAIN CLOTHES FOLKS AS WELL AS OUR, OUR COVERT STUFF WITH THE DRONES.
AND WE'LL HAVE SOME SPECIAL OPERATIONS PEOPLE IN AND AROUND THE COMMUNITY, IN AND AROUND THE AREA TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY IS SAFE.
SO YOU DON'T FEEL IT'S, DON'T, DON'T FEEL, UM, LIKE THERE'S ANYTHING GOING ON BECAUSE YOU SEE A LOT OF POLICE OFFICERS, THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE THERE FOR.
UH, ANY OTHER FURTHER QUESTIONS? NO.
UH, OTHER, SOME OF THE PRECINCTS AND DIFFERENT THINGS YOU GONNA COLLABORATE FOR I I'LL, WHAT ABOUT OTHER AREAS THAT TAKE AWAY FROM DIFFERENT THINGS? NO, LIKE I SAID, IT'S PLANNED ALMOST A YEAR IN ADVANCE.
SO WE ALREADY HAVE STAFF READY TO DO THAT.
UH, SOME OF THEM WILL BE ON OVERTIME, BUT WE'RE ALSO GONNA HAVE A COMPONENT.
SO YOU'LL SEE SOME TROOPERS IN AND AROUND THE AREA IN THEIR TAHOES, ADDRESSING THEIR TROOPER UNIFORMS. UH, AND WE'LL HAVE SOME, SOME PARTICIPANTS FROM OUR PARTNER AGENCIES.
I KNOW METRO'S A GREAT PARTNER WITH US, SO THEY'LL BE IN AND AROUND THE FACILITY.
SO OUR, OUR GOAL IS TO JUST PROVIDE SOMETHING SAFE, A SAFE VENUE SO PEOPLE CAN COME CELEBRATE THE 4TH OF JULY.
IT'S A FANTASTIC, UH, HOLIDAY FOR US.
AND, AND WE LOOK FORWARD, UH, TO THE PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE OTHER AGENCIES AND LOOK FORWARD FOR EVERYBODY COMING IN, GOING HOME SAFELY.
IS THERE ANY PARKING ISSUES? THERE'S ALWAYS GONNA BE PARKING ISSUES.
SO LIKE I SAID, PACK YOUR PATIENTS.
IF YOU HAVE A BAG, IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE IN AND AROUND YOUR CAR, PLEASE TRY TO SECURE IT.
DON'T LEAVE IT OUT FRONT SO SOMEBODY, SOMEBODY CAN GRAB.
DON'T LEAVE YOUR, DON'T LEAVE YOUR LAPTOP AND YOUR PURSE OUTSIDE ON A SEAT.
SO THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT THERE WILL BE, UH, UH, SOME PARKING ISSUES.
SO WE WILL HAVE, UH, WE'LL ADDRESS 'EM AS THEY COME FORWARD.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANK YOU, Y'ALL VERY MUCH.