4th of July festivities to commence Monday
File/ eExtra News
The following events will be held in Greenville on Monday to celebrate Independence Day:
Free Pancake Breakfast
This year, the public is invited to enjoy free pancakes at Park Street Baptist church from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. You can park in the parking lot on the corner of Gordon and Park streets. You are encouraged to bring your family and enjoy breakfast before the parade.
Firecracker 5k and Fun Run
The annual Firecrackers 5k and Fun Run is held by Greenville Parks & Recreation, and this year, the Fun Run will start at 7:30 a.m. with the 5k beginning at 8 a.m. It will begin and end at Kavanaugh Methodist Church and First Baptist Church will have parking open for attendees. The route will be posted on the Parks & Recreation website and will pass Johnson Street, where hundreds of flags stand in the grass. You can register online here. Awards will be given for the Overall Male and Female and Age Groups: 10 & Under, 11-17, 18-39, 40-59, 60+ and best overall Male and Female.
Park Street 4th of July Parade
Also on Park Street, the Park Street parade begins at 10 a.m. and is annually a well-attended event. Many different organizations, elected officials, antique cars, business owners, band members, kids, pets, and veterans will all walk the length of Park Street. The street is lined with American flags and property owners expect people to sit on their sidewalks, so grab your family and enjoy the celebration of our independence.
Watermelon and patriotism at Kavanaugh UMC
Following the end of the parade, you can expect to see crowds piling into Kavanaugh Methodist Church to get ready for their 11 a.m. patriotic program. It is a casual event, so you can come straight from the parade in your patriotic gear. The service includes singing, flag-waiving, and readings and will conclude with the singing of “Stars and Stripes Forever” with the church’s pipe organ. Following the service, there will be free watermelon served in Kavanaugh’s Bible Garden for all to enjoy.
Bottle Rocket Bash and fireworks celebration to be held at Sports Park
The Greenville Parks & Recreation will be holding the Bottle Rocket Bash at the Greenville Sports Park in honor of Independence Day. The gates open at 6 p.m. and parking spots and spots in the park fill up fast. Lawn chairs and ice chests are allowed. There will be food trucks, a kid zone bounce house area, live music, entertainment by Dj K-Sprinkles & Big Daddy Band, and other fun activities to keep you occupied while you wait for it to get dark enough for the biggest fireworks show in Hunt County at 9:15 p.m. The music for the fireworks will be streamed on EZ Rock 105.9 if you are listening from your home or car.
You can call 903-457-2994 to reserve a parking spot for the Bottle Rocket Bash and fees range from $10-$25. This event usually causes traffic, so this is designed to relieve some of that while letting people choose a spot that is best suited to their needs. If you do not want to pay, there will be free grass parking available near the gravel lot at the Sports Park with shuttled parking available at Paris Junior College, Brookshires, and the Reecy Davis Recreation Center.