Windsor’s Fourth of July Celebration draws large crowd
Published 4:48 pm Wednesday, August 2, 2023
Contributing to the red, white and blue of Windsor’s 2023 Fourth of July Celebration are, from left, Tommy Harrell, Jim Wilkes, Sheila Wilkes and Jean Babb. (Photo by Titus Mohler)
From left, Marissa Lanier, Sam Lanier, Keith Smith and Steph Wright pose for a photo at Windsor’s 31st annual Fourth of July Celebration on Tuesday, July 4. (Photo by Titus Mohler)
Rhonda Ludwick looks after 1-year-old River during Windsor’s Independence Day event on Tuesday, July 4. (Photo by Titus Mohler)
Pausing for a picture along Duke Street during Windsor’s Fourth of July Celebration are, from left, Erin Beck, Mark Beck and Aaron Beck. (Photo by Titus Mohler)
The Greg Willis Cruise-In features a variety of specialty vehicles on display on Church Street during this year’s Fourth of July Celebration in Windsor. (Photo by Titus Mohler)
A growing crowd of people gathers at the Wesley F. Garris Event Park on Tuesday, July 4, during Windsor’s 31st annual Fourth of July Celebration. (Photo by Titus Mohler)
Participants in Windsor’s 2023 Fourth of July Celebration relax as they listen to Brasswind at the Wesley F. Garris Event Park. (Photo by Titus Mohler)
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The town of Windsor’ 31st annual Fourth of July Celebration on Tuesday, July 4, clearly showed that people are interested in helping restore the town’s holiday event to its former glory.
“I think we had a fantastic gathering yesterday,” Windsor Mayor George Stubbs said in a Wednesday, July 5, interview.
As former Mayor Glyn T. Willis said in 2022, Windsor had, in some respects, the premier Fourth of July event in the area in time’s past.
Also in 2022, then-Vice Mayor Greg Willis said, “You just ask the questions around, and everybody would tell you Windsor’s Fourth of July Celebration was top of the line.”
The event went away for a couple years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it returned in 2022 in a scaled-back form, lacking — among other things — fireworks, which Stubbs identified as one of the celebration’s key drawing points in the past.
This year, the fireworks were back, as were other features, a product of what Stubbs described as organizers being “in a rebuilding mode.”
At the Wesley F. Garris Event Park and surrounding area this year, a group consisting of primarily Windsor and Isle of Wight County residents enjoyed live music from Brasswind and Carson Robertson; the Greg Willis Cruise-In, featuring specialty vehicles; food trucks; a kid zone, with bounce houses and more; and fireworks.
“Although a very hot day, we were pleased with the event and the turnout,” Windsor Town Manager William Saunders said. “Everything went as planned, and we thank the volunteers, sponsors and participants for that.”
Stubbs said he had not received any negative feedback from anyone, and he actually had several text messages from people thanking the town, the event-planning committee and everybody involved for the job they did in making the celebration a reality.
Given that the event was spread out over seven-and-a-half hours, from 2-9:30 p.m., Saunders noted that he had no estimate as to attendance, but he said that “a large number of folks enjoyed themselves there this year.”
“I think that the event was enjoyed primarily by Windsor and Isle of Wight County residents, but there were some from other areas,” he said.
He noted that features of the celebration that seemed particularly popular included the two musical acts and the fireworks.
“Overall, I think we had a good gathering,” Stubbs said. “Like I’d previously said, it’s a rebuilding, and the people seem to have supported it, liked it, and we’re going to see if we can continue this later on with something we can discuss and maybe build on.”
