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BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR STAFF
ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com
Downtown Elizabethton will be abuzz during the Fourth of July Independence Day Celebration thanks to the Elizabethton Parks and Recreation department along with several sponsors who have a big evening planned for Saturday evening July 3rd.

It all kicks off at 4 pm with the bike parade and culminates at 9:30 pm with the shooting of fireworks presented by Granny’s Fireworks.

This year, the fireworks will be shot from the Elk Avenue Bridge which will allow for great viewing from many different places around the Covered Bridge Park. That is one of the reasons that the other events have been moved from a previous noontime start to later in the evening.

“We use to do these around noon but we started to think about how we could actually bring fireworks, some kind of show, to that area as well,” said Elizabethton Park and Rec Director Mike Mains. “This particular type of show we had down at the stadium (Twins Field) for years and years – Granny’s Fireworks shoot them for us and they do a fantastic job.

“It’s a lower caliber of shell – you don’t have the height to it but yet it really is fantastic.”

Plans have already been put in place for the firework show as Mains and his staff is excitedly putting the final touches on the celebration.

“Knowing that we got with them (Granny’s Fireworks) and we got with the fire marshall and went to the locations, and right now we are looking at the Elk Avenue Bridge is where they will be shot from,” commented Mains.

“We will block off certain areas around to have that buffer zone but if you think about it we are also closing the third block of Elk Avenue so you can have people sit in that general area and look ahead so you have the buildings here and the fireworks straight in front of them.

“And on the other side, you have the monument looking the other way toward downtown and then you have the Covered Bridge Park and Riverside Drive going back toward Tetrick Funeral Home there is a whole viewing area there where people can come and sit and enjoy the fireworks.”

The Covered Bridge Park will be the major hub of all activities as there will be a bike parade, dog pageant, the Miss Firecracker Pageant, food trucks, and music.

Times and events are as follows:

Patriotic Bike Parade – 4:00 pm

Patriotic Pup Pageant – 4:30 pm

Little Miss Firecracker Pageant – 5:00 pm

Dancer’s Dreams – 6:15 pm

Special Patriotic Ceremony – 6:45 pm

Spank The 80’s – Concert – 7:30 pm

Fireworks Show – 9:30 pm

All of the events couldn’t be possible without sponsors that have come alongside the Parks and Rec Department to make the celebration a memorable one.

Those sponsors are: Carter County Bank, WBEJ Radio, Elizabethton Star, Elizabethton Federal, City of Elizabethton, and Carter County Parks and Recreation

All the events are free to the public.

Mains said that it was important to keep things rolling along after so much was missed out on in 2020.

“We are thrilled to be able to do it,” said Mains about the celebration. “Again, it is just creating an atmosphere for our community, Elizabethton and Carter County, and regionally for people to come and see all that Elizabethton has to offer and that is what we are all about.

“We want to keep going in creating these events to make a difference in everyone’s lives.

“I am really excited about this.”

For more information on any of the activities, call 423-547-6441 or follow the Elizabethton Parks and Recreation Department on Facebook.