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(ARCHIVE PHOTO | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Fireworks explode behind Oak Street near the Graham downtown square, capping off a day of events for the Celebrate Freedom event. The event will be held Saturday, June 28, with the fireworks show taking place after the Summer Concert Series performance at 8 p.m.
As the anniversary of America’s independence nears, the city of Graham, for a second year, is gearing up to host a celebration in honor of the big day.
The Graham Chamber of Commerce will host the Celebrate Freedom day of events Saturday, June 28. The celebration begins with a pancake breakfast and ends with the Summer Concert Series and a fireworks show.
The day of events kicks off with the annual Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast fundraiser at First Baptist Church at 620 Fourth St. The breakfast will be $10 per person and be held from 7-11 a.m.
From 4-7 p.m. attendees are encouraged to spend time around Graham visiting the local restaurants, retailers and boutiques where every $25 spent at participating locations gives a chance for a $750 Chamber Bucks prize.
Live patriotic music will be played near the Young County veteran memorials from 5:30-6 p.m. A ceremony will be held to honor veterans from 6-7:30 p.m. near the Young County Veterans Memorial and New Century Veterans Memorial.
Traditionally, these honors were held under the Young County Courthouse gazebo, but the gazebo is currently undergoing maintenance for safety concerns.
Following the honors, the annual Celebrate Freedom Parade will be held on the downtown square at 7:30 p.m. The deadline to submit an entry into the parade is noon Friday, June 27.
All entries into the parade must fill out an application form and a waiver with the chamber of commerce, which is available at grahamtexas.net, or by emailing Chamber Executive Director Cayley Strickland at cayley@grahamtexas.org.
The parade application requires a description of each entry. Music, creative decorations, special effects and crowd giveaways are encouraged for all entries into the parade.
Other information required is number of participants, vehicles and entry length.
The day of events will be capped off with The Last Plainsmen playing at 8 p.m. as the second of five performances in the annual Summer Concert Series.
The free concert series is held every other Saturday through Saturday, Aug. 9 on the downtown square. Those attending the concert will need to bring their own seating arrangements.
Following the conclusion of the concert, a downtown fireworks display will be held to end the day with a bang.
The inaugural Celebrate Freedom event was held last year combining multiple events in Graham into one Fourth of July celebration.
