Celebrate the Fourth

Bristol To Host Star-Spangled Saturday

Embrace patriotism. Exhibit freedom. Celebrate America.
So goes Bristol’s first Star-Spangled Saturday. Scheduled for July 5 in downtown Bristol, the multi-dimensional Independence Day celebration as conceived, planned and presented by Celebrate Bristol intends to keep the day simple and to the point, said Tim Buchanan, chairman of Celebrate Bristol.
“Parade, park, fireworks,” Buchanan said. “We’re trying to keep things simple.”
And different.
“Some people have wondered why we are doing it on Saturday and not on the Fourth,” Buchanan said.
“Most people are off on Saturday. Plus, we didn’t want to compete with the other Fourth of July celebrations in the area.”
Look around. Locales beyond Bristol have long had annual Fourth of July celebrations.
“We had nothing for people to do in Bristol for the Fourth of July,” Buchanan said. “People would have to go to Johnson City or Kingsport.”
Not anymore, thanks in part to Richard Ball, Celebrate Bristol’s parade coordinator.
“The last few years I’d sit back and wonder why Bristol didn’t have a July 4 parade,” Ball said. “Shoot fire, everybody had a parade but Bristol. The heck with that.”
Planning began in January for what Buchanan said he intends to maintain as a yearly event.
“This is ideal for Bristol,” he said. “People want something to do here.”

PARADE
That means an emphasis on Independence Day basics, starting at 10 a.m. with the parade, slated to begin at Morrison Boulevard and to commence down State Street to the train station.
Ball said parades are popular in part because they cater to kids, while also giving adults a chance to remember when they were also kids. Plus, parades are relatively rare.
“It doesn’t happen every other day,” Ball said. “People can rub elbows with their neighbors on the sidewalk. People can look at the old cars going by and say, ‘Hey, I had one of those 20 years ago.’ Kids love the clowns and the sirens on the fire trucks.”
Ball said parade participants include the Sons of the American Revolution, Daughters of the American Revolution and the American Legion. Onlookers can expect to see Food City’s giant shopping cart. Also, Boy Scouts will be giving small American flags to attendees.
No one will mistake the day’s purpose, Ball said.
“Independence Day is our day of independence. It is patriotic,” he said. “It’s not dedicated to the veterans, but without the veterans, we would not have had this day to celebrate. It will be a patriotic day.”
That’s fine by Rick Strader. The Bluff City resident served in the U.S. Navy from 1966 to 1972, service that included time spent in the Vietnam War. Strader now serves as the president of one of five Tennessee chapters of Rolling Thunder, a national veterans advocacy group devised to raise awareness about issues relevant to veterans.
“I think anybody who has served in the armed forces has a different perspective on the nation and our freedoms,” Strader said. “We are one nation under God, indivisible.”
Rolling Thunder spreads the word primarily via motorcycles. As such, Strader and about 40 to 50 of his two-wheeling buddies will be among those in the Star-Spangled Saturday parade.
“We’ll have a ball,” Strader said. “Everybody is out there and waving flags, and it gives us a chance to blow our horns.”
You too could blow your horn. Ball said it is not too late to participate in the parade. However, some criteria apply.
“It’s got to be tasteful,” Ball said. “We’re asking that it be patriotic. Just come on down, and we’ll put you in line.”

PICNIC IN THE PARK
The parade route guides the way to Cumberland Square Park. Buchanan said that upon completion of the parade, which he anticipates to be at approximately 11:30 a.m., the day’s celebration will continue with a community picnic in the park.
Hear music. Eat hot dogs. Commingle with the community.
“How can you get more American than hot dogs? It’ll be fun,” Buchanan said. “Free hot dogs, free Terry’s potato chips and free water. We will have a Coke vendor where people can buy a Coke.”
Add beach music by The Scat Cats and the Wells Brothers.
“They’re great,” Buchanan said of the two acts. “And we’ll have about 25 minutes of patriotic music from the Bristol Virginia Seniors Show Choir.”
Also, prominent Bristol historian Bud Phillips and Rebecca Pepin of Fox Tri-Cities will be on hand signing copies of books they have each authored.
“We’re doing this to make it a community event,” Buchanan said. “It is about patriotism. The people of this area are traditionalists. I think they are the heart and soul of America. They are about America and patriotism.”
Buchanan said Star-Spangled Saturday pauses at about 2:30 in the afternoon. It resumes later in the night near Bristol Motor Speedway for fireworks.

FIREWORKS
Bellies filled and flags waved, Star-Spangled Saturday will end with a bang. Fireworks underwritten in part by Bristol Motor Speedway will alight the night sky from the grounds of the All-American Campgrounds on White Top Road.
However, take note on a few things.
“I would get there as early as possible. I would get there by 9:15 or so,” Buchanan said. “Bring the cooler and have a picnic. The fireworks will go off at approximately 10 o’clock.”
Be aware and prepare. Construction continues outside the track along Volunteer Parkway. Traffic currently routes via two lanes, one going east and one west. That means bottleneck traffic conditions with a vast infusion of automobiles.
Then consider another traffic builder on the night.
“There’s a race at the track that night,” Buchanan said, “which we hope will be over by 10 o’clock.”
A race at the track means more traffic on the roads outside the track. Alternatives exist for those hoping to dodge most of the traffic while en route to the fireworks show.
First, come a little early and thus before the end of the race.
“Police are encouraging people to take highway 394,” Buchanan said. “Try to avoid Volunteer Parkway.”
Mark this down. Buchanan said that Celebrate Bristol intends to stage Star-Spangled Saturday as an annual event on the closest Saturday for the Fourth of July.
Meanwhile, planners hold their breath and hope for the best this year. They hope for good weather, good times and a good start to an annual event.
“I just know it’s going to be a good day,” Buchanan said.

IF YOU GO
What: Star-Spangled Saturday
When: July 5, parade at 10 a.m.; picnic in the park at 11:30 a.m.; and fireworks at 10 p.m.
Where: Downtown Bristol – parade along State Street, picnic at Cumberland Square Park and fireworks at All-American Campgrounds near Bristol Motor Speedway
Tickets: Free
Info: To enter the parade, call Richard Ball at (276) 466-4009. For other information, call Tim Buchanan at (276) 669-3885.

TOM NETHERLAND is a freelance writer. He can be reached at .