Fourth of July event to include fireworks, music, games

By Lynn Hotaling

"We wanted to plan an extra-special event in light of the national tragedy last September," said Jeff Carpenter, director of the Jackson County Recreation and Parks Department. "It's the first July 4th since Sept. 11th."

This year's fireworks display will take place at dark on Thursday, July 4, in downtown Sylva.

Fireworks will be detonated at the old county courthouse and will feature a number of patriotic shells. The display will include some 1,400 individual shells, though many will be exploded in groups to create a "dazzling display," Carpenter said.

New to this year's fireworks will be musical accompaniment, Carpenter said. WRGC radio will provide the music, and people who watch from locations other than Main Street are encouraged to bring a radio or turn on their car radio in order to enjoy patriotic songs and messages during the pyrotechnics.

Downtown festivities will get under way at 6 p.m. when Sylva's own rising country music star, Matt Stillwell, takes the stage. Stillwell's set will be followed at 7:30 p.m. by the Bobby Sullivan Band, another local act, playing classic rock and Top 40 hits.

Musicians will perform from a stage located in the CCB (former First Union) parking lot. Games and contests will be found there also, as will a recreation department booth.

In addition to the "traditional" Oreo-stacking contest, the rec department will conduct a watermelon-seed-spitting competition, Checkers tournament and face-painting. Department staff will have 3-D fireworks glasses, Jackson County Sesquicentennial T-shirts and commemorative sesquicentennial newspapers for sale at their booth.

A children's inflatable ride will be available near Sylva's municipal parking lot on Railroad Avenue. Rides will cost 50 cents each.

Other vendors - who must be pre-approved by Sylva Partners in Renewal - will be located in the First Citizens parking lot.

Traffic will be routed around Main Street beginning at 6 p.m., said Sylva Police Chief Jeff Jamison. Initially, vehicles will be rerouted around the festival area via Schulman, Jackson, East Jackson and Evalina streets, he said. For the duration of the fireworks display, which will begin around 9:30 p.m., vehicles will be directed away from the Main Street area via Old Dillsboro and Grindstaff Cove roads, Municipal Drive and U.S. 23-74.

A few new rules will be in place for this year's celebration, Carpenter said. No spectators will be allowed past the Grindstaff Cove/Schulman/Main Street intersection due to safety concerns, and no private fireworks displays will be permitted in the Main Street area after 6 p.m. Alcoholic beverages will not permitted.

Atlanta-based Melrose South Pyrotechnics, the company responsible for fireworks at NASCAR shows, Stone Mountain (Ga.) and Atlanta Braves baseball games, will provide the firepower for this year's display.

The downtown celebration is Jackson County's Independence Day festival, Carpenter said, and for that reason is held in Sylva, the county seat. Sponsors for this year's event include, in addition to a number of local merchants, Jackson County Board of Commissioners, town of Sylva, Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, Jackson County Travel and Tourism Authority, SPIR, The Sylva Herald, WestCare and WRGC radio.

For additional information, call the rec department at 293-3053; for vendor information, call Sylva Partners in Renewal at 586-1577.

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