Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The annual Watauga Lake Boat Parade will be held Tuesday, July 4, at noon. A large number of boats will be participating, all decorated for the Fourth of July.
The parade will begin at the Watauga Dam, continue by the picnic area and on to the Butler Bridge, where it will end.
Those participating are asked to get their boat decorated and be at the dam a little before 12 noon for judging. Awards will be given before the parade begins as boat owners decorate with patriotic themes and compete for prizes. If the weather is nice there will be thousands of people sitting on the shoreline to watch, all the way from Rat Branch to Butler Bridge.
Boaters who don’t want to participate in the parade can float nearby to watch.
TWRA will lead the parade followed by last year’s houseboat winner.
Three different marinas will have fireworks on Watauga Lake. A lot of people watch all three displays out on the water from their boats.
The annual July 4th parade on Watauga Lake has been a tradition since 2001. The parade will include all kinds of boats – houseboats, pontoons, runabouts, sailboats, and cruisers.
Fireworks at Mallard Cove Marina will be held on Saturday, July 1, this year and Pioneer Landing Campground & Marina (at Sugar Grove Church) and Lakeshore Marina on Sunday, July 2. Folks usually arrive around dusk, and the water is packed with boats. The shore is also lined with people watching from around the marina; at Mallard Cove, community members without boats are invited to come and watch as well.
In addition to the boat parade on July 4th, the 36th Annual Pepsi Independence Day Celebration and Fireworks will be held Monday, July 3, on the grounds of Freedom Hall Civic Center.
The evening’s festivities will kick off at 4 p.m. with food trucks, face painter, and children’s games via Johnson City Parks & Rec. The first musical act of the night, George Birge, will take the stage at 6 p.m., followed by Matt Stehl at 7 p.m., and Thompson Square at 8:15 p.m. As always, fireworks will begin at 9:55 p.m.
This event is free and open to the public. Attendees are welcome to bring lawn chairs and blankets to sit on the grounds of Freedom Hall and enjoy the festivities.
Other Independence Day events in the area include The Freedom Festival July 4th in Unicoi from 5 to 10 p.m. at the Unicoi Elementary School, with fireworks to begin at dark.
Bristol will host its annual Independence Day Parade at 5 p.m. Tuesday on State Street with Border Bash beginning at 7 p.m. Scythian and Logan Fritz and Co. are set to perform. Fireworks will begin at 10 p.m.