July 4 events
Clinton
Clinton’s July 4 celebration will be similar to last year’s, with the addition of East Tennessee Championship Wrestling.
The events will be from 5 to 9 p.m., with fireworks scheduled for 9:30 p.m.
Also included July 4 will be BackYard Bouncers, a game truck, 865 Axe Throwing, and the Little Ponderosa Zoo.
Big Butts BBQ, The Drink Smooth, Rasta Pasta, Melinda Lunsford’s Funnel Cakes, The Big Bad Taco Truck, Catherine’s Catering, The Hungry Hillbilly, Sticks and Scoops, and Kona Ice will have concessions.
July 4 activities are held at Lakefront Park.
Norris
The 2023 Norris Day Celebration will help city residents observe the Independence Day holiday on Tuesday, July 4, capped off by a fireworks display at 9:30 p.m.
The day’s events, held in the town’s Commons area, begin at 8:30 a.m. with the Firecracker 4K Run and 1K Fun Run, followed by:
• Posting of the Colors, 9 a.m.
• Kids’ dog show, 9:10 a.m.
• Sack races, 9:30 a.m.
• Duck races, 10 a.m.
• Decorated bicycle parade, 10:30 a.m.
• Many-wheeled races, 11:15 a.m.
• Water balloon toss, 12:15 p.m.
• Water balloon battles, 3 p.m.
• Evening program, 5:30 p.m.
At 7 p.m., the Clinch River Horns will perform in the amphitheater in front of Norris Middle School in the last of this season’s “Concerts on the Commons” series.
There is no admission charge, but concert attendees are requested to bring their own chairs or blankets to sit on in the grassy area in front of the stage, next to the Lions Club Pavilion.
Food will also be available throughout the day.
The concert will be followed by a 20-minute fireworks display.
The late Jack Mitchell, who was a longtime Norris real-estate agent and publisher of the Norris Bulletin, created the concert series 15 years ago.
Powell Clinch Utility District has been the sponsor of the series since its inception, responsible for paying the performers for their appearances.
This will be the 55th annual Norris Day celebration.
Rocky Top
Rocky Top’s Independence Day celebration will kick off with a parade beginning at 2:45 p.m. in the downtown area, with more events starting at 3 p.m. and running all day until a fireworks display at 10 p.m.
There will also be a collector car show, sponsored by the Lake City Middle School football team, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot of the Coal Miners Museum on Main Street, across the street from Powell-Clinch Utility District headquarters.
Festivities will be held at the ballfields beginning at 3 p.m., and will include a bounce house, ax throwing, train rides, face painting, food trucks, a climbing wall, a dunking booth, a petting zoo, live music, and a corn hole tournament.
Anvil shoot
While most Americans celebrate Independence Day with fireworks, the Museum of Appalachia marks the occasion with old-fashioned anvil shoots.
Every Fourth of July, the museum uses gunpowder to launch anvils into the sky.
Anvil shoots were once a common way for pioneers to celebrate holidays, elections and other special occasions.
While the tradition of anvil-shooting is nearly obsolete, the museum keeps this unique and exciting pastime alive for a 21st century audience.
“When the gunpowder ignites and the anvil soars into the air, the earth literally shakes,” says museum President Lindsey Gallaher. “It’s a thrilling thing to witness.”
The anvil shoots are the centerpiece of a celebration that includes a bell-ringing ceremony, a flag procession, live music, and demonstrations from blacksmiths, spinners, weavers, sawmillers, woodworkers and more.
Event tickets are available for purchase at museumofappalachia.org.
Tickets will also be available for purchase at the museum on Tuesday, July 4.
Anvil shoots are scheduled for 10 and 11 a.m., noon, and 1 and 2 p.m.
For more information, visit the museum’s website, call 865-494-7680, or e-mail museum@museumofappalachia.org.