The Athens Fourth of July Fireworks Show will be held on Thursday, July 4, at 9:30 p.m. at Athens Regional Park, located off I-75 Exit 49 at 2405 Decatur Pike.
The show will feature choreographed music and traffic reports on WJSQ 101.7 FM, WLAR 1450-AM and 95.1 FM. Other festivities at the park will include radio-controlled model airplane demonstrations by the McMinn County Radio Control Association, (MCRCA). MCRCA will also have a flight simulator on site where the public can try their hand at RC flying. Evening festivities around the softball complex will include the annual Michael’s Casual Dining Pie Eating Contest, at 9 p.m., and a McMinn County history trivia competition at 8:30 p.m. The trivia contest winner will take home a $200 cash prize to commemorate the county’s 200th birthday. The pie eating, and trivia contest participants will be randomly drawn on-site and hopeful participants may register prior to the contests.
“Thanks to a lot of great sponsors coordinated by the Athens Parks Foundation, Athens has put together one of the largest July 4 fireworks shows in east Tennessee,” said Austin Fesmire Director of Parks and Recreation. “We decided years ago to concentrate solely on fireworks and it has proven to be a great success for Athens with over 10,000 people annually watching our show in and around the Regional Park. I encourage families to spend the day together at local festivals, the lake or at a home BBQ and then come to Athens for this premier firework show. The show will last approximately 20 minutes and is highlighted by a fantastic finale,” said Fesmire
Athens Regional Park loop road will be one-way on July 4 and there will be areas on the eastern side of the park marked as no parking areas due to the fireworks safety zone. No one will be allowed to enter the park after 9:15 p.m. After the fireworks, Decatur Pike will be tapered to one lane in front of the park so that those inside of the park may exit safely. Areas of the park, including the Disc Golf Course and trails will be closed before and during the fireworks show for safety reasons, and park users are asked to stay out of these areas.
The City of Athens is a full-service municipality nestled in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains and has garnered a reputation as the “Friendly City.”
For more information, please contact the Athens Parks and Recreation Department at (423) 744-2704.
