Norris Day returns Saturday
Visitors to a previous Norris Day celebration visit with park rangers at the information booth operated by Norris Dam State Park in the Commons area in front of Norris Middle School. This year’s event is set for Saturday, July 4. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
The day includes a long list of fun events, capped off by a “Concert in the Commons” by “110 in the Shade,” a six-member group performing funk, soul, Motown, and R&B songs, beginning at 7 p.m. on the bandstand stage in front of Norris Middle School.
That will be followed by a 20-minute fireworks display at 9:30 p.m., launched from the field deep in the Commons area.
For Norris, it’s a particularly special time as the city that owes its existence to the creation of the nearby Norris Dam by the federal government – the first dam in the entire Tennessee Valley Authority system. It was completed and put into service in 1936.
Norris Day begins with the Firecracker 4K and 1K Fun Run at 8:30 a.m. in the town’s Commons area.
Other events will include Posting of the Colors, 9 a.m.; Norris Library book sale, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.; kids’ dog show, 9:10 a.m.; duck races, 9:45 a.m.; decorated bicycle parade, 10:30 a.m.; many-wheeled races, 11:15 a.m.; sack races, 11:45 a.m.; and water balloon toss, 12:15 p.m.
There will be an evening program at the Lions Club Pavilion behind the post office beginning at 5:30 p.m.
There is no admission charge to any of these events, 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 pavilion.
Food will also be available from food trucks throughout the day, and there will be inflatables set up for the kids from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., as well as a water slide from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The final of this year’s Concerts on the Commons will be held from 7-9 p.m. Friday, July 10, showcasing “Small Wars,” an indie/rock/alternative group with original hits from the 1970s to the 2000s.
The Norris Recreation Commission is hosting the concerts.
Powell Clinch Utility District has been the financial sponsor of the series since its inception, helping to pay the performers for their appearances.
