City’s history impacted by NASA
Friendswood To Celebrate Splashdown: 50th Anniversary Of Apollo 11
The City of Friendswood is celebrating part of its city history in July as they plan many programs around the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Splashdown.
Many astronauts and their families have lived in Friendswood since the construction of NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
Events in Friendswood begin with the city’s Fourth of July Parade, July 4, 2019. This parade is the longest running patriotic Independence Day parade in the nation. (while other cities in the US cancelled July 4 parades during world wars, the Quaker town of Friendswood felt patriotism should be celebrated for the birth of the nation and there has not been a year in the city’s history that the parade was not held, rain or shine)
In this year’s parade, an estimated 15 astronauts will be involved.
The Friendswood Splashdown event will happen Saturday, July 27 in Stevenson Park on South Friendswood Drive.
Underwritten by the Friendswood Rotary Club, events include 2:30-6:30 pm Children’s activities including rocket launches; 4-6 pm Classic Car Show with cars through 1969 on display and 7-9 pm Concert in the Park with the Fab 5 performing (a Beatles tribute band)
The Friendswood Public Library has declared Space as the theme for summer reading and has four special events with panels of NASA related speakers.
Chairing the events for the 50th anniversary are Friendswood Mayor and astronaut Mike Foreman and Council member Sally Branson.
Foreman is a retired U.S. Navy pilot and a NASA astronaut. While with NASA, Foreman was part of a mission that delivered the Japanese Experiment Module and the Canadian Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator to the International Space Station. Foreman was also a crewmember of the STS-129 mission in November 2009. In 2018, he was elected mayor of Friendswood.
