From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 21, the FUMC-Orange church parking lot and Praise Center will be bustling with food, fun, games, activities, community resources and music free and open to all in the community.

This event has previously been held in September which is traditionally the United Methodist Church’s Open House Month to reach out to local neighbors in all communities. But in 2007, the first year the event was held, it narrowly dodged Hurricane Humberto. In 2008 the event was scheduled the weekend Hurricane Ike made landfall and thus canceled and in 2009 rain forced the event indoors.

This year the decision was to move the event to August just before school starts with a focus on community school children.

“We thought this would be a special time to celebrate the kids going back to school and perhaps better weather,” says Davie Thompson, Last Blast’s event chair.

In preparation for heading back-to-school, free haircuts will be available for the young and young at heart. School children in need will take home free socks and underwear from our Last Blast Socks and Underwear Giveaway, but children must be present to receive garments.

A moonwalk, obstacle course and other games will be offered outside for kids of all ages and bingo and a Wii tournament will take place in the Praise Center with prizes awarded.

For the adults, seventeen community resource agencies will be on hand offering information on their services, such as Samaritan Counseling Center, GOALS, Anayat House, Julie Rogers “Gift of Life” Program, Rape & Suicide Crisis Center, the Orange County Extension Office, the Golden Triangle Christian Women’s Job Corps, the Stark Museum of Art, and many more.

All of the festivities wouldn’t be complete without good food to accompany the fun. Hot-off-the-grill links and hot dogs, potato salad, snow cones, lemonade and more will be served, and it’s all free.

Come out to the Last Blast festivities and celebrate the passing of summer. Bring in the school year with fun had by all. Contact the church office at 409-886-7466  for more information.