Happy Indepen
BY STACY BROWN
July Fourth falls on a Sunday this year, but the Independence Day holiday will be observed on Monday, July 5, by the federal government and state of Georgia. Although we typically celebrate on July 4, the Continental Congress actually voted for independence on July 2, 1776. John Adams noted in his writings that July 2 should be marked “with pomp and parade … from one end of this continent to the other.” He would turn down invitations to celebrations on July 4, believing that July 2 was the correct date for celebration. Some people have been confused by observances taking place on July 5 in Woodstock this year. While those people are in good company, historically, like Adams in particular, we hope that won’t keep them from joining in on the fun. Local celebrations will include a parade, festival and fireworks at dusk. Main Street will close at 7 a.m. for the Freedom Run, which starts at 7:15 a.m. There will be a 5K, 1 mile and Tot Trot. More information is available at www.woodstockfreedomrun.com. Streets will reopen 8:45-9:45 a.m. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. at
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AROUND WOODSTOCK | July 2021
Woodstock Elementary School and will travel south through downtown Woodstock to the Sam’s Club parking lot near Main Street and Highway 92. Main Street will reopen at 11:30 a.m. For the parade map and road closures, visit https://woodstock.recdesk.com. The festival will take place in The Park at City Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be food vendors, arts and crafts vendors, games, activities for children and a DJ. At dusk, Woodstock will host a fantastic fireworks celebration in the area of Molly Lane and Highway 92, near Interstate 575. Traffic plans for those wishing to park in the area around Target, Home Depot, Lowe’s, His Hands Church and BJ’s are available on the Special Events tab of the Woodstock Parks and Recreation website. For more information on the July 4th Spectacular, visit woodstockparksandrec.com. Stacy Brown is the marketing and communications manager for the city of Woodstock. She can be reached at 770-592-6056 or sbrown@woodstockga.gov.