Spruce Pine’s 4th of July takes the 5th

If July 4 was a day for family and friends to celebrate together over barbeques and picnic tables, the 5th was reserved for the community coming back together to mark the day collectively.

Spruce Pine’s annual Independence Day parade wound down Oak Avenue (Upper Street) Saturday evening, featuring the Mitchell High School marching band, a troupe representing the soon-to-open Mitchell County YMCA, cars and trucks carrying local dignitaries and prominent businesspeople, and a roll call of the town’s most important emergency vehicles.

Paradegoers began to line the street a half-hour before the start, with children jostling to get front-row standing positions. The reason for their enthusiasm was soon clear after the parade began, as every other group in the parade tossed candy and lollipops to the crowd.

Following the parade, the celebratory crowd moved on to Oak Avenue’s bars and restaurants or headed down to Locust Avenue (Lower Street) where there were various food trucks, booths, and an elaborate play area for the children. Others headed into the Thai Table, the first restaurant to officially open on the flood-damaged Lower Street.

At 7 p.m., Spruce Pine’s Saving Shirley, which bills itself as Western North Carolina’s ultimate 2000s party rock band, took over the performance stage at the east end of Lower Street to play an energetic set, performing until the celebration was finally topped by the annual fireworks display.

It was a festive conclusion to what became a two-day 4th of July.