Neighbor News
Lightning, Radio Play are highlights of an Old-Fashioned July 4th Celebration in Clearwater
4th of July celebration included the performance of a pulp fiction classic and was capped by nature's own fireworks.
In honor of America’s birthday, members of the Clearwater community gathered on Friday July 4th for something different. Following an old-time radio style reading of the pulp fiction classic Western Shadows from Boot Hill by L. Ron Hubbard, the City of Clearwater’s annual fireworks display went head to head with Mother Nature.
More than 150 guests gathered in Fort Harrison’s Crystal Ballroom for a buffet of traditional July 4th fare and live entertainment in addition to the radio-style performance by the L. Ron Hubbard East Coast Theatre.
Shadows from Boot Hill recounts the story of a gun for hire who finds his miss-deeds have finally caught up with him.
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“Stories of the Wild West were a staple of radio programming in radio’s Golden Age,” said Lisa Mansell from the Church of Scientology's Public Affairs Department. “Based on the audience feedback tonight, Shadows from Boot Hill really showed the timelessness of this genre.”
Members of the L. Ron Hubbard East Coast Theatre performed the story as an old-time radio play, including sound effects, an “On Air” light, and commercial breaks.
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“Shadows from Boot Hill was originally published in 1940,” said Joanie Sigal, the Theatre's Director. “It was just one of the more than 200 stories written by Mr. Hubbard for the pulp fiction magazines of the era. The sales of these stories funded Mr. Hubbard's research into the mind and life – culminating in what would become Dianetics and Scientology.”
L. Ron Hubbard was among the most prolific and popular writers of the 20th century. Between 1934 and 1950, some 200 of L. Ron Hubbard's tales appeared in the pages of pulp magazines.
Following the performance, guests were ushered onto the 10th floor terrace of the Fort Harrison, where they were able to not only see the City of Clearwater’s fireworks, but also a dramatic display of lightning as Mother Nature brought in a show of her own.
“The lightning show coordinated with the fireworks,” said one guest. “The lightning and the thunder show before the fireworks was spectacular!”
For more information about upcoming community events at the Fort Harrison, call 727-467-6860.
About the L. Ron Hubbard East Coast Theatre
Founded in 2011, this theatre troupe performs dramatic readings of stories written by L. Ron Hubbard in the 1930s and '40s. These stories cover a wide range of genres—action, romance, mystery, adventure, science fiction, western, suspense, fantasy and more. For more about the L. Ron Hubbard East Coast Theatre, please visit https://galaxypress.com/east-coast-theatre.
About the Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization
The Scientology religion was founded by humanitarian and philosopher, L. Ron Hubbard. The first Church of Scientology was formed in the United States in 1954 and has expanded to more than 11,000 churches, missions and affiliated groups, with members in 167 nations. Flag is a religious retreat located in Clearwater, Florida. To learn more, visit www.scientology-fso.org.
