The City of Demorest is in the final preparations for this year’s Glorious Fourth of July celebration. This year, the city anticipates at least 4,000-5,000 visitors.
With just days until Independence Day, Demorest is looking more patriotic as the day approaches. The city is in the final stages of planning events that will take place in and around Demorest Springs Park.
Prepare for the heat
Even though we are still almost a week out, the weather forecast has the temperature in the low 90s that day with a chance of scattered showers.
Demorest City Manager Mark Musselwhite said the city is doing its part to help those who visit beat the heat. He says the most important thing for people to do is “need to come prepared, wear a hat, bring an umbrella.” He says the city will have at least one cooling tent that mists water.
The post office downtown will also be open for people to step inside and catch a break from the mid-summer sun. The postmaster will turn the air conditioning “down low” the night before so the lobby will be “good and cool” the next day, says Musselwhite.
Demorest Fire Chief David Scheuerer says fire personnel will ride around the event area, monitoring the crowd and checking on people who may be in heat distress.
The message for the day is hydrate before you come to the event and hydrate while at the event.
Scheurer has spoken with Habersham County Emergency Services Director Jeff Adams about the county staging an ambulance in town. He anticipates that Adams will send at least one unit to the city to be on stand-by but has not received confirmation yet.
Activities and parade
According to Demorest Utilities Clerk Sarah Rumsey, the city’s Glorious Fourth of July celebration will begin at 2 p.m. on Thursday, July 4. Food and craft vendors will be set up in the downtown area.
Rumsey says there will be at least 11 food vendors to try out and 15 craft vendors for folks to purchase their wares.
There will be a petting zoo, bouncy houses, and cornhole and horseshoe tournaments at Demorest Springs Park.
The parade will begin at 4 p.m. with kids’ floats and displays leading the field, followed by at least 30 other participants.
Those in the “adult” portion of the parade will line up on Florida Street beside the Exxon gas station. The “children’s” parade will line up across the street in the parking lot of Premier Mortgage.
This year’s Grand Marshals are Demorest Elementary School teacher April LaHayne and her 4th-grade class. They earned the honor after winning a state reading championship in a global contest in February.
Entertainment and fireworks
Grammy-nominated country music artist John Berry will headline this year’s Glorious Fourth concert.
The Joe Olds Band will open the concert in Demorest Springs Park at around 6 p.m. and Berry will perform from around 7:45 to 9:15 p.m.
Following Berry’s set, there will be about a 20-30-minute lull before the fireworks begin to ensure maximum darkness and allow the crowd to move to locations where they can watch the fireworks.
The best viewing areas will be near Demorest City Hall (Old Demorest Elementary School) on Alabama Street. The fireworks will be launched from behind City Hall at the Brent Lee Moore Memorial Ballfield.
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Parking
According to Musselwhite, the city and Piedmont University have partnered to provide parking. Spaces will be available in various locations around the city and the event area, and visitors can park in the lots around the campus and Demorest Springs Park.
However, visitors will not be allowed to park on Florida Street or North Hazel Avenue. These locations are beside and behind City Hall, near the gymnasium.
Vendor and parade sign-ups
Organizers say it’s not too late to sign up as a vendor or to enter the parade. The deadline is Monday, July 1.
Click here for a vendor registration form and here for a parade entry form, or visit the City of Demorest website for more details.
