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Lowndes Countians have plenty of choices to celebrate Independence Day on July 4, and if that’s not enough, you can travel to nearby Greenville to see more fireworks on July 5.

Celebrations kickoff in Lowndesboro with the annual July 4 parade, which begins a
8:30 a.m. in Downtown Lowndesboro and is followed by a program where former Lowndesboro mayor and current Alabama Agriculture and Industries Commissioner Rick Pate will be the featured speaker.

In the late afternoon, it’s off to Gordonville for a host of afternoon events.

A car and bike show followed by music and fireworks is planned from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. behind the new Gordonville Town Hall, according to Mayor Orbuty Ozier.

“This is the first time a celebration like this has happened in Gordonville,” she said. “We’re looking forward to it as a community. We feel it will be very successful. We think we’ll have a great turnout.”

Car and bike participants are $5 and admission for the fireworks and the event is $8, according to Ozier. Children under 10 are free.

“This is the kickoff toward us having a city park,” she said. “It’s a fundraiser for the park. Next year this time, we will celebrate July 4 in our own city park.”

Ozier said the event is being held on July 4 because so many communities are holding events on July 5 and 6 this year.

“We want people to bring their tents and chairs and come out,” she said. “We’re asking them not to bring food to give our vendors a chance. We will have a number of vendors with BBQ, fish, pop and more.”

Friday night, Greenville will host a huge fireworks display at Tiger Stadium. The 15th annual Celebrate America Fireworks Show hosted by the City of Greenville and the Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce is set for
8:30 p.m. on July 5, according to Chamber Executive Director Tracy Salter.

“It’s changed up a little bit this year,” Salter said. “This year, it will be a fireworks display only. The gates at Tiger Stadium will open up at 7:45 p.m., and we encourage people to bring chairs to sit in or they can sit in the seats at the stadium. The fireworks show will start at 8:30 p.m. and people can expect a very colorful, large, impressive fireworks show.”

Parking will be available at the top parking lot of the stadium with the main gate being the only point of entrance. The Greenville Police Department will be working the parking area to keep vehicles moving safely before and after the event. The parking lot will open at 7 p.m., and the stadium gate will open at 7:45 p.m. No outside food or drinks will be allowed inside the gate, in the stands or on the field.

Pyro Shows of Alabama is the company responsible for the show. The show will last between 12-15 minutes. The company is conducting a huge event the night before in North Alabama.

“They do a great job and we want people to enjoy it,” Salter concluded. “It’s free, everyone’s welcome and it’s family friendly. You don’t even have to be at the stadium to see it — they’ll be visible all over town, but we want to encourage people to come to the stadium. The stadium is an awesome place to view the display.”