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High Country Celebrates Fourth of July with Many Events Taking Place This Weekend

Photo by Todd Bush.

Ever since 1776, July 4th has been celebrated as Independence Day. Common festivities to celebrate the holiday include family and friends gathering to enjoy barbecues, attending parades, or viewing fireworks. Across the High Country, all of these activities will be taking place this weekend as there are a variety of events to choose from. 

Banner Elk Annual Fourth of July Parade

Banner Elk will host its annual Fourth of July Parade downtown from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Monday, July 4. After the parade, attendees are welcome to go to the “Party in the Park” at Tate Evans Park, which will have food, games and the “Great American Duck Races” from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. 

Fireworks at Sugar Mountain

To kick off a day full of Fourth of July activities, Sugar Mountain Resort will host its annual Summit Crawl that will begin at 9 a.m. on July 4. At this competitive event, participants can run, hike, climb or crawl to Sugar Mountain’s 5,300 foot peak by way of the Easy Street, Gunther’s Way and Northridge slopes. The distance of the Summit Crawl is approximately 6,500 feet or 1.2 miles. Participants will be timed, and prizes will be handed out. Food and beverages will be available, and the Rockabilly’s perform from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Sugar Mountain will also hold a firework show sponsored by the Sugar Mountain Tourism Development Authority. The firework show can be viewed from Sugar Mountain’s 5,300 foot peak and begins around 9:15 p.m. on July 4. The Summit Express chairlift will run July 4 from 7:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. for mountain-top fireworks viewing. Ticket sales for fireworks viewing lift rides end at 8:30 p.m. Typical Mountain Boys will perform at the base lodge from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m., and food and beverages are available at the mountain’s base.

Fireworks Extravaganza at Tweetsie Railroad

Tweetsie Railroad prides themself with having the largest fireworks show in the High Country. The Wild West theme park will be open for extended hours from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday, July 4, and fireworks will begin at 9:30 p.m.

Independence Day Celebration with Live Music and Fireworks at Beech Mountain Resort

Celebrate Independence Day with Beech Mountain Resort on Saturday, July 2 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. This event is free and open to all ages. Featuring live music with Fantasy and fireworks to cap off the night, there is no better way to celebrate America’s birthday.

Fantasy, Carolina’s favorite party band, performs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. outdoors in front of the lodge cafeteria, and DJ Pete will be on-site spinning all the favorite tunes. Attendees will be able to enjoy an American-style cookout with hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, etc., so come ready to eat to your heart’s content. Compact camping chairs or blankets are permitted. There will also be inflatable-style games for all ages and balloon animals from Twist the Balloon Man. Fireworks will begin at dusk, so bring your family and friends!

And then Beech Mountain Resort’s Independence Day Celebration will continue on Monday, July 4 at 5:30 p.m. for family-friendly fun at Beech Mountain Brewing Co. Sit by one of the many fire-pits and enjoy live music from CASH Revisited. There will also be complementary s’mores, inflatables, and games. Food, ice cream, and drinks are available for purchase.

July 4th Celebration in Blowing Rock

Join the town of Blowing Rock for their Main Street parade on Saturday, July 2 at 10 a.m. The parade is usually 40 minutes to an hour long. Local families, musicians, organizations, and characters celebrate the holiday with a patriotic procession. 

In addition, Main Street will be closed to parking from midnight the night before to just after the parade (12am-11am on July 2). No parking on Main Street for the parade will ensure better visibility and safety. To make parking easy, a complimentary shuttle service will run from the parking lot at Tanger Outlet to Main Street, beginning at 8:00am. The shuttle will run continuously through 5:00 pm.

After the parade, everyone is encouraged to visit Memorial Park for an afternoon full of games and music, followed by holiday shopping and dining around town.

Town of Boone’s Annual Independence Day Celebration

The Town of Boone’s annual Independence Day celebration will take place July 3-4, which means there will be two days of festive, patriotic activities for all to enjoy. 

On July 3, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Boone Greenway near Clawson-Burnley Park, there will be afternoon festivities that will include music, games, inflatable bounce houses, food trucks, and more. At 7:30 p.m., there will also be a concert at Appalachian State University’s State Farm Lot as part of An Appalachian Summer Festival, featuring Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives (purchase tickets at appsummer.org). The Town of Boone’s annual firework display will follow at dusk.

The Town of Boone’s 4th of July parade will take place on Monday, July 4 at 11:00 am. Folks can find their favorite spot along King Street in Downtown Boone and take in the sights as floats, marchers, and performers show off their patriotic reds, whites, and blues. Afterwards, everyone is welcome to stop by the Jones House lawn for free watermelon, cake, and lemonade.