The July 4 fireworks in Oak Ridge were at Alvin K. Bissell Park. (Photos by Fred O’Hara)
The annual Independence Day celebration and fireworks display in Oak Ridge was Friday, July 4, at Alvin K. Bissell Park. The festivities started at 7:30 p.m. with a free concert by the Oak Ridge Community Band, and they ended with the fireworks display at 10 p.m.
It was the 70th anniversary of the Community Band’s first concert held on July 4, 1944.
Here are pictures by Fred O’Hara. [Read more…]
The city of Clinton’s annual July 4 event starts at 5 p.m. and ends with fireworks at 10 p.m. at Lakefront Park.
The city said there will be activities for the whole family, including a 68-foot Army Boot Camp Obstacle Course, bounce house, three-lane mega water slide, bungee run, home run baseball game, and module combo with water slide. All of those attractions will be available to the public at no charge. There will be free laser tag as well for those kids up for the challenge, the city said on its website.
There will be several food vendors set up in the lower Lakefront parking lot. A corn-hole tournament will start at 7 p.m., with registration beginning at 6 p.m. Trophies will be awarded for first and second place. [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Community Band has been rehearsing for the annual Independence Day concert, which will be held Friday, July 4, at 7:30 p.m. at A.K. Bissell Park behind the Civic Center.
“This is an especially big event for the Community Band because it is the 70th anniversary of the band’s very first concert performed on July 4, 1944,” a press release said.
There is no admission fee for this concert or for the city’s fireworks display held at the end of the concert program. However, donations to the Community Band will be accepted to help offset band expenses, the press release said. [Read more…]
Hundreds of swimmers enjoy the Oak Ridge Outdoor Pool on Providence Road on Memorial Day 2012. (File photo)
The Oak Ridge Municipal Swimming Pool will operate on its holiday schedule on Friday, July 4. The outdoor pool will open at 10 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.
The day is Fun Day at the pool as the lifeguards will conduct different activities starting at 2 p.m. for patrons to participate in fun events, balloon toss, intertube relays, etc.
Admission is $2 for children ages 3 to 12 and people 65 and older, $3 for ages 13-17, and $3.75 for adults. Children under 12 must be accompanied and supervised by an adult during public hours at the outdoor pool.
The city’s indoor pool and Oak Ridge Civic Center will be closed on July 4.
Please visit the website at www.orrecparks.org for information on all of the Oak Ridge Recreation and Parks Department programs.
Information from Anderson County Tourism Council
July 4 Celebration and Anvil Shoot
July 4 at Museum of Appalachia
July 4 will be celebrated in an unusual, dramatic, and traditional fashion at the Museum of Appalachia with historic anvil shoots. In addition, there will be demonstrations of mountain arts and crafts. Bluegrass, old time, and folk music will be played and sung on the porches of the cabins and in the old log church, hymn singing, and church services will be conducted. The demonstrations and music can be found throughout the 65-acre farm/village complex. For more information, contact the Museum of Appalachia at (865) 494-7680 or visit www.museumofappalachia.org.
46th Annual Norris Day July 4 Celebration
July 4 on the Norris Commons
The Norris Lions Club brings you the 46th Annual Norris Day celebration in downtown Norris. Running enthusiasts can begin the day with the Firecracker Road Run. Later, the children’s Dog Show will be held on the Norris Commons, followed by the one-mile Fun Run. No one will want to miss the children’s Wheel Race, the Bicycle Parade, the Water Balloon Toss, or the Water-Ball Battles. There will be sack races and duck races, too. One of the highlights of Norris Day is the wonderful barbecue dinner—barbecue pork and chicken with all the sides served by the Norris Lions Club in the Norris Middle School cafeteria from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. For more information, call (865) 368-4884. [Read more…]
The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department will be out in full force, cracking down on drunk driving on July 4 and, aggressively targeting those who put lives in danger, a press release said.
“The Fourth of July is a favorite holiday for many Americans,” the release said. “Families and friends gather to celebrate our country with food, parades, parties, and fireworks. For many people, the celebration includes alcohol, but the holiday quickly goes from festive to fatal when people choose to drive after drinking.”
Anderson County Sheriff Paul White said the department wants to make the roads safer on the holiday. [Read more…]
The annual Independence Day celebration in Oak Ridge is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. July 4 and end at 10 p.m. with fireworks at A.K. Bissell Park. (File photo by Charles Samuels)
The annual Independence Day celebration and fireworks display will take place in A.K. Bissell Park on Friday, July 4, with festivities starting at 7:30 p.m. and ending with the fireworks display at 10 p.m.
The Oak Ridge Community Band will kick off the evening at 7:30 p.m. with a free concert on the Performing Arts Pavilion stage. The Community Band’s performance traditionally draws a large crowd, so the public is encouraged to come early with lawn chairs or blankets to secure a good seat, a press release said. This year’s Independence Day concert marks the 70th anniversary of the Community Band’s first concert that was held on July 4, 1944.
The firework display will begin at 10 p.m. and will once again be accompanied by music played live onsite by 96.7 Merle FM, the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau said in the press release. Radio host Jack Ryan will be broadcasting from the park beginning at 6 p.m. and will conclude with a patriotic medley customized for the city’s fireworks. The countdown to fireworks will begin at 9:30 p.m., giving listeners plenty of time to settle down, tune in, and enjoy the show, the release said. [Read more…]
By Museum of Appalachia
NORRIS—Visitors to the Museum of Appalachia, a Smithsonian Affiliate Museum, can celebrate July 4 with the explosion of sound that pioneers heard thunder through the hills when they celebrated Independence Day.
In those days, local blacksmiths would “shoot the anvil” to celebrate the nation’s Independence, Christmas, and even Davy Crockett’s election to the U.S. Congress.
Now, shooting the 175-pound anvil, an almost lost tradition, has come to be a highlight of the Museum’s annual July 4 Celebration. Folks as far as 15 miles away have reported hearing the blast, and certainly everyone gathered for the excitement feels the earth shake under their feet.
Along with a big boom several times during the day, there will be patriotic ceremonies, a flag waving procession led by bagpiper Jesse McCrary, Longhunter camp stories, Appalachian music, and an array of historic demonstrations. [Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio
A few of the area’s postponed Independence Day celebrations and fireworks shows will be held today, Saturday, July 13.
In Kingston, “Smokin’ the Water†begins at 11 a.m. at City Park with a car show, a watermelon eating contest, a homemade raft race, a kids area, vendors, games, laser tag, and more. Fireworks will be shot at dark.
Lake City’s annual celebration will be held beginning at 2 p.m. with a car show and games on the ball field. Fireworks will be shot at 10 p.m. Merle FM’s own Big Rick—who celebrates his birthday today—will broadcast from the Lake City celebration Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m.
Workers set up fireworks at A.K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge for a Sunday evening (July 7) show. (Photo by Darryl Kerley)
The Oak Ridge fireworks show is still scheduled for this evening, and crews were loading the fireworks Sunday morning, Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said.
The July 4 fireworks were rescheduled for 10 p.m. today (Sunday, July 7) because of forecasts calling for heavy rain before and on Independence Day.
The event itself starts at 7 p.m. today at A.K. Bissell Park. Radio host Jack Ryan will be transmitting live from the park beginning at 6 p.m. and will conclude the live broadcast on Merle 96.7 FM with a patriotic medley as the fireworks are shot, according to a city press release last week. [Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio
The threat of steady, soaking rainfall Wednesday through Friday has forced Norris to postpone its annual fireworks display until Friday, July 26, but all other Norris Day activities on the Norris Commons sponsored by the Lions Club will go on as planned starting at 8 a.m. today (July 4).
In a press release, the Norris Lions Club said it will conduct its annual Norris Day activities as weather allows today at Norris Commons. Scheduled indoor activities include the traditional barbecue lunch in the Norris Middle School Cafeteria, the Quilt Show in the Norris Fellowship Church, and the Library’s annual book sale in the McNeeley Building. Also, the evening awards program will be held at the Norris Community Building. [Read more…]
Kingston has canceled the July 4 parade scheduled for 7 p.m. today, the city announced on its website.
Officials will meet at 7 a.m. Thursday, July 4, to determine whether to cancel more Independence Day events. [Read more…]
