Wayne County Celebrates America's 250th Birthday

Wow, what an awesome weekend in Wayne County celebrating America’s 250th birthday! Wayne Countians definitely know how to host a great birthday party.

The festivities began on Thursday, July 2nd, with the 250th America’s Birthday Celebration and Fireworks Spectacular in Collinwood, Tennessee. Sponsored by the City of Collinwood, Collinwood Beautification Board, Wayne County Bank, and People’s Bank, the first organized Independence Day event in Collinwood saw a great turnout and promises to get bigger and better every year. Event attendees at Ralph Hughes Park enjoyed all the food trucks offering great food to be enjoyed while listening to live music from Ben Daniel, Crooked Creek, and Four Wheel Drive. Finishing off the night was a true Fireworks Spectacular enjoyed all around town. The Collinwood Independence Day Celebration will hopefully continue for many years to come.

The Clifton Chamber of Commerce, Clifton Rotary Club, and Clifton Main Street hosted a Community Birthday Lunch on Friday, July 3rd. The event saw a great turnout, and hosts heard many requests to make this a yearly tradition. The festivities were held at Clifton Gazebo Park on the banks of the Tennessee River in Clifton, Tennessee. Event organizers estimated that approximately 150 people came out and enjoyed the free hamburgers, hot dogs, and other treats. After finishing the main course of hamburgers and hot dogs at Gazebo Park, attendees went on to enjoy ice cream at People’s Bank, along with sweet treats including cookies and cake pops at Wayne County Bank. Thankfully, the rain held off until the last person was served.

The annual Independence Day Celebration in Waynesboro, Tennessee was much bigger and even better this year in celebration of America’s 250th birthday. Gates opened at 5:00 p.m. at Waynesboro City Park, and attendees began rolling in as soon as the gates opened. Sponsored by the City of Waynesboro and Wayne Halfway House, this year’s event saw a big jump in attendance. Early unofficial crowd estimates show an attendance of at least 4,000, which is huge, but still manageable and welcome. Rain that fell earlier in the day and for a little while after gates opened made attendees nervous about the musical acts set to perform, but as someone once said, the show must go on! Food trucks were lined up to keep the hungry crowd fed as local musical talents Danny Davis and Ben Daniel took the stage at 6:00 p.m. The headliner, Emily Ann Roberts, took the stage at 6:00 p.m. and put on a great show. Lots of excited fans were thrilled to see the talented and friendly entertainer who made sure to include the fans in her awesome performance. Roberts’ husband, Chris Sasser, is an active YouTuber, and together they run a popular channel called Sasser House. A lot of the fans on Friday were excited to see Chris Sasser as well.

The Fireworks Extravaganza did not disappoint as it lit up the night sky with a beautiful display that could be seen all around the city. There is no way to count all who enjoyed the annual fireworks display, which many look forward to every year.

Everyone is invited to mark your calendars for next year’s Independence Day Celebrations in Wayne County. It won’t be long before the cities of Collinwood, Clifton, and Waynesboro begin to make plans for another summer holiday weekend of food, family, music, and fun!