This Saturday, July 5th
By David Meade
Area residents are invited to celebrate Independence Day in Williamston this year. The Town of Williamston and the Greater Williamston Business Association (GWBA) will host a Freedom Celebration and Fireworks event this Saturday July 5.
The event will feature an expanded fireworks show and live music featuring Jukebox 45, a classic oldies and rock and roll band. The band covers some of the greatest musicians of all times including Bill Haley and the Comets, The Everly Brothers, The Righteous Brothers, Bee Gees, Elvis and many more.
Band Members include lead singer – Bob Fitzgerald of Fountain Inn, keyboards – Wally Lauzan of Greenville, lead guitarist – Art Creaney of Anderson. bass player Michael Blocker of Fountain Inn and drummer Bryan Styles of Greenville. Joey Blocker of Anderson runs lights and sound for the band.
The band has been together for about 12 years and plays regularly at car shows, festivals and other events throughout the upstate. The band will play at 7 p.m.
There will be food vendors in the park beginning at noon offering barbecue, hot dogs, funnel cakes, sno-cones and old fashioned ice cream.
The Williamston Fire Department and McDonald’s will sponsor the cruise-in at Town Square Center parking lot which begins about 4 p.m. Participants will have the opportunity to win $50 at each of three drawings at 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.
McDonald’s will have $1 specials and the fire department will also offer $1 fire truck rides.
The Town of Williamston is sponsoring the fireworks show, which has been expanded and will last longer than previous shows, according to Williamston Mayor Mack Durham.
“It will be one of the best we’ve had,” he said.
The fireworks show will be held on the ballfields as in the past and will begin at approximately 9:45.
Mayor Durham said residents who are accustomed to watching the fireworks from their yard or other parking lots in town may want to come to the ballfields this year.
The expanded fireworks will not go as high in the air as they have in the past, he said. The best view will be from the ballfields and parking located behind the Municipal Center.
Music in the park will end aroun 9:15 p.m. so that spectators can walk safely across the street to the rear of the Municipal Center to water the fireworks.
