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The Rocket’s Red Glare
Written By: Deena Bouknight | Issue: 2021/07 – July | Photograph By: Susan Renfro
There’s so much fun packed into the Plateau’s Fourth of July celebration that it’s spread over an entire weekend.
Perhaps July 4, 2021 may mean more to people this year than it has in a long time. Freedoms taken for granted were stifled for many months due to an unseen germ, and celebrating Independence Day in 2020 was for the most part shackled because of pandemic fears.
Highlands Chamber of Commerce’s Visit Highlands, NC, will be providing live music all weekend as well as the Fireworks Finale. The music begins on Friday, July 2, at 6:00 P.M. with the Foxfire Boys at Town Square on Main Street and continues on Saturday at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park with Blaze the City, which spotlights vocal harmonies and funky dance rhythms playing pop, funk, rock, country, blues and Motown.
On Saturday, July 3, attention shifts to the Town Ballfield.
First up, it’s the Boy Scouts’ Water Rocket Launch from 9:00 to 11:00 A.M.
Once the launch site has been cleared and the scouts have changed into dry clothes, everyone is invited to participate in Traditional Field Games from 11:00 A.M. to noon.
That should ensure that everyone is good and hungry for the town’s Hot Dog Lunch from 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.
From noon to 1:00 P.M., the MAMA (Mountain Area Medical Airlift) Helicopter and its crew will land and present a close-up view to the public.
The Rotary Duck Derby will be staged at Mill Creek from 1:30 to 2:30 P.M.
This year’s July Fourth band will be Moon Dance, a band specializing in tributes to each decade with music from the 1950s to the 2000s; this concert is also at Kelsey-Hutchinson Founders Park starting at 6:00 P.M.
Sapphire Valley will host its Yankee Doodle Dandy Day on July 4th, which includes a cake walk, inflatables for kids, duckie derby, etc. Wristbands will be available to purchase for activities and food. A band will be performing throughout the day.
And, looking to get an early start on the fun, Town and Country General Store in Cashiers is hosting Mile High Band, from 6:00 to 9:00 P.M. Saturday, July 3.
Of course, in all of this act responsibly, don’t do stupid stuff, and enjoy the joyful freedom of a Quarantine-Free celebration.
