Dunlap, Tenn., will add a little shimmer to the Sequatchie Valley over the long holiday weekend.
The big Fourth of July events - a parade and fireworks display - are held on Monday, but a street dance on Saturday will get the patriotic party started.
Lorene Williams, executive assistant at the Sequatchie County & Dunlap Chamber of Commerce, said the street dance is scheduled from 6 p.m. to midnight CDT in the center of town, just off Highway 127. The band Plum Krazy is scheduled to play.
The parade will start at 10 a.m. Monday, followed by events at the Sequatchie County Courthouse. A military color guard will present the flag while the Sequatchie County High School alumni band performs. Various nonprofit organizations will have booths set up, offering concessions and games. Country, gospel and classic rock bands will perform throughout the day.
The crowds usually disperse by about 2 p.m., Williams said, but they'll be back at dark for the fireworks display.
"You can park anywhere in town and see the fireworks," she said.
Williams said the Chamber of Commerce office, 15643 Rankin Ave., will open its doors during the parade so that spectators who can't stand the heat, such as the elderly, handicapped or parents with newborns, can watch in cool comfort.
Multitudes of people line the street to see their neighbors march through with flags and other patriotic regalia. It's a slice of Americana that gives Dunlap its small-town appeal, Williams said.
The parade typically takes about an hour before the last entry completes the route through town, though sometimes the time has stretched closer to 90 minutes.
"This not being an election year, it won't take as long," Williams said.