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Localities around Western Tidewater are poised to celebrate Independence Day, and the city of Franklin will get an early start on the festivities this year as it holds its annual event Wednesday, June 28.

Following is a non-exhaustive list of some of the Independence Day events taking place in the area.

FRANKLIN

The city and Blackwater Community Events will be co-hosting the 2023 Independence Day Celebration from 4-9:30 p.m. in downtown Franklin.

As noted at FranklinVA.com, the celebration will include the Franklin Cruise-In, starting at 4 p.m. in the city parking lot at the corner of South Main Street and East 1st Avenue in front of the fire station.

The Franklin Farmers Market, known as the Franklin Market on Main, will start at 4 p.m. at 210 S. Main St.

From 6-9 p.m. a live band, The Embers, will perform at Barrett’s Landing, which is located at 100 Barrett St.

The Franklin Experience Inc. will provide free hot dogs and watermelon from 6:30 p.m until supplies run out. 

“Our local shops and restaurants will also be open, and we encourage you to visit them as well,” city officials stated.

At 9:15 p.m., there will be a fireworks show.

“We hope you and your family will join us in downtown Franklin for an evening of fun, festivities and fireworks,” city officials said.

SEDLEY

Sedley Events will hold its Independence Day Celebration on Saturday, July 1, from 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m., according to an event listing on Facebook.

There will be no fees required to attend and participate; only food and vendors will cost money. 

A Veterans Recognition Program will be held at 10 a.m. at Grace Memorial United Methodist Church, which is located at 31036 Peachtree Ave. in Sedley.

The majority of the town’s celebration will take place at Rogers Memorial Park, located at 30258 Maple Ave. in Sedley. 

The celebration will include a car show from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. A parade will immediately follow and will feature some of the vehicles from the show.

Sedley’s celebration will also include a cornhole tournament, a water balloon fight, “SoCo’s largest Corn Box,” music, food trucks and other vendors, bounce houses and fireworks.

The event listing also noted that extra parking will be available around the park, Hubbard Peanut Company and the Sedley Volunteer Fire Department, though the listing emphasized that attendees should not block the fire station’s bay doors but should rather make sure to give firefighters room to report for calls by parking alongside the building.

IVOR

The town of Ivor will hold its fifth annual July 4th Celebration on Tuesday, July 4, from 2 p.m. until after 9 p.m. on Bell Avenue and Church Street.

An announcement from Ivor Community Events on Facebook states that everything will be free at the event except for the food that attendees can purchase. 

The announcement notes there will be a Main Stage, with a lineup of events from 2-9 p.m. At 2 p.m. there will be an opening ceremony. From 2:15-4 p.m., Christopher Pierce Music will perform. A cornhole tournament will begin at 3 p.m. From 4:15-6 p.m., the 58 East Band will perform. At 6 p.m. there will be a live raffle drawing. From 6:15-9 p.m., the Silver Street Band will be performing.

Vendors will be on hand from 2-7 p.m., and they will include a variety of food trucks.

Fireworks will begin at 9 p.m.

There will also be a Kid Zone with its own lineup of events. From 2-8 p.m., laser tag will be offered, and from 2-8:45 p.m., there will be an offering called Inflatapalooza, which includes a 30-foot-high, triple-lane water slide, an obstacle course, a double-lane slip ’n’ slide and a double-lane bungee run race.

A Pre-K Zone will be open from 2-8:45 p.m. for children 6 years old and younger. This zone will include a bounce house with a slide, a water table, a small, custom-made obstacle course, splash bomb water balls, yard games and more.

For more information, including detailed parking instructions, visit the Ivor Community Events Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/IvorEvents/.

NEWSOMS

People are invited to celebrate July 4th at a free event in Newsoms with the Newsoms Ruritans, who will hold a parade at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, July 4.

A flier notes that all entries for the parade are welcome and that the lineup will start at 4:30 p.m. at Newsoms Baptist Church, which is located at 29347 S. Main St. in Newsoms.

At the Ruritan building, which is located at 29200 S. Main St. in Newsoms, there will be live music by the Shiloh Band, free hot dogs, a rock climbing wall and a softball game, all following the parade.

Organizer Brent Edwards confirmed there will be an optional opportunity for attendees to make donations, but everything will be available for free at the event.

For more information, call Edwards at 252-862-6235.

WINDSOR

The town of Windsor will hold its 31st annual Fourth of July Celebration on Tuesday, July 4, from 2-9:30 p.m. at the Wesley F. Garris Event Park and surrounding area.

An announcement on the town of Windsor website states that this year’s event will include craft vendors, food trucks, a kid zone, live music from area artists, the Greg Willis Cruise-In for specialty vehicles, and fireworks.

The vendors and food trucks will be selling their products, but everything else at the event, including admission, will be free.

Opening ceremonies will be held at 2 p.m., Carson Robertson will perform from 4-5 p.m., the cruise-in will begin at 5 p.m., Brasswinds will perform from 6-9 p.m., and the fireworks display will take place at 9 p.m.