Red, White & Tunes set to keep Fourth fun rolling

Even though Fourth of July has passed us by, the City of Clarkesville is continuing one of their traditions in celebrating the holiday.

On July 15, starting at 6 p.m., Clarkesville will be hosting the annual Red, White & Tunes event at Pitts Park. Almost a week and a half after the Fourth of July, residents will gather in the park to celebrate as a community. There will be a lot of familiar aspects of the event that attendees from previous years will see once again.

“We’ll have the Steve Bryson band again. Steve played for us last year, he’s a local guy and a big four piece band. We’ll have Atlanta Pyrotechnics doing the fireworks, which is always a great show. We’ll have even more food vendors in the park than last year, we’ll have four or five food vendors and a couple of dessert vendors from local bakeries. Kona Ice, of course, will be there. We’ll also have face painting and balloon art for children. We also have a bouncy house for the kids,” explained Clarkesville Main Street Director Colby Moore.

This event has something fun for all ages, and while kids can enjoy games, balloon art and face painting, the adults can enjoy something the kids cannot.

“So, we’ll have some of our local restaurants serving beer and wine in the park,” Moore said. “Last year was the first time we’d ever done that, and it was very successful. So we’re doing it again this year.”

2022 Red, White & Tunes saw high attendance numbers, something Moore is excited for and anticipating for this year’s event.

“We had a great crowd last year. Last year was my first time, and it was a great crowd last year. Even though it rained early and we were a little worried about the crowd. But no, it was a great event. We had approximately 2,000 people last year, and we expect to have at least that many again this year. … We encourage everybody to bring their lawn chairs and blankets to sit on in the grass, it really is a nice show,” said Moore.

Planning ahead for the high attendance numbers, Moore has organized shuttle buses to take people from the Clarkesville Square and down the hill to the park during the first hour of the event, and also as the event comes to a close.

The event has been a Main Street staple for years, and Moore is looking forward to continuing the tradition.

“For me, it’s fun to see the park fill up over the course of the first hour of the event,” said Moore. “I think it’s really exciting to see the community come together. People get up and dance in front of the stage and the kids are running through the park. It’s always fun to watch, it’s a good time.”