Boone celebrates Fourth
by Anna Oakes
Locals and visitors celebrated independence and the birth of a
nation at the Fourth of July Parade in Boone on Wednesday, as the town of Boone was celebrating a
birthday, too.
Incorporated in 1872, the town of Boone marked its 140th birthday by featuring mayors past and present, including Boone Mayor Loretta Clawson and past mayors Velma Burnley and Wade Wilmoth, as the grand marshals of its annual parade along King Street.
Plenty of sunshine and a gentle breeze welcomed the hundreds of parade-goers who gathered to watch the moving spectacle, with military and veteran groups, politicians, civic clubs, horses, dogs, classic cars, fire trucks, dancers and costumed actors joining the march.
Afterward, the town of Boone welcomed visitors to the lawn of the Jones House Community Center, where watermelon and birthday cake were served.
At night, Boone's annual fireworks display lit up the sky above the recreation fields off of State Farm Road. Tweetsie Railroad and the Bethel community also displayed fireworks Wednesday evening, and the Southern Appalachian Historical Association celebrated with toasts, a reading of the Declaration of Independence and the burning of an effigy of King George at Horn in the West in Boone.
View two photo galleries from Boone's Fourth of July festivities at http://bit.ly/L2XROD and http://tinyurl.com/Boone4th
Incorporated in 1872, the town of Boone marked its 140th birthday by featuring mayors past and present, including Boone Mayor Loretta Clawson and past mayors Velma Burnley and Wade Wilmoth, as the grand marshals of its annual parade along King Street.
Plenty of sunshine and a gentle breeze welcomed the hundreds of parade-goers who gathered to watch the moving spectacle, with military and veteran groups, politicians, civic clubs, horses, dogs, classic cars, fire trucks, dancers and costumed actors joining the march.
Afterward, the town of Boone welcomed visitors to the lawn of the Jones House Community Center, where watermelon and birthday cake were served.
At night, Boone's annual fireworks display lit up the sky above the recreation fields off of State Farm Road. Tweetsie Railroad and the Bethel community also displayed fireworks Wednesday evening, and the Southern Appalachian Historical Association celebrated with toasts, a reading of the Declaration of Independence and the burning of an effigy of King George at Horn in the West in Boone.
View two photo galleries from Boone's Fourth of July festivities at http://bit.ly/L2XROD and http://tinyurl.com/Boone4th