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In true small-town fashion, community members lined Emory Street for Oxford’s annual 4th of July parade and festival following.
It was certainly a ‘Party in the U.S.A.’ as dozens of organizations celebrated America’s 249th birthday in decked-out cars, trailers and even horses, filling the streets in a sea of red, white and blue.
Multiple groups participated, including the Newton County Board of Commissioners, Newton County first responders, local churches, businesses and many more. The parade was led by the city of Oxford Grand Marshal Michael McQuaide and Mayor David Eady.
“A lot of people who are in it have been doing it for years and years, and they just keep coming back,” said Sydney Mathis, event manager for the city of Oxford.
From patriotic displays crafted by local businesses to vintage cars and tractors adorned with American flags, each display held a sense of community spirit and national pride. People cheered as almost a dozen Slingshots and an entourage of Jeeps cruised down the street, tossing out fistfuls of candy.
Horses strutted, police cars blasted patriotic music and USA National Miss Peach State Fadlyna Jean-Francois dazzled the crowd with her smile.
Following the parade, the city of Oxford threw a festival at Asbury Street Park with games, food, and a live DJ. All of the festivities were organized by the city of Oxford and is its biggest event of the year, according to Mathis.
“The parade has been going on for quite some time, but the part after the parade is what is kind of new,” Mathis said. “In the past, they have done stuff at Old Church just down the road, where they’ll have like a memorial or the Lions Club will hand out watermelon, and they have a live band, and that was kind of it. But, when I got here, I was like ‘We can make this much livelier,’ so this is now the third year of [the festival] being as big as it is.”
The Lions Club selected the first, second and third-place parade float winners, which the Mayor announced at the beginning of the festival.
Awards were given out by category:
Cars: 1st Place Epilepsy Awareness
Equine/Equine Group: 1st Place Blue Sky Farms, 2nd Place Usher Ranch
Float: 1st Place Oxford Baptist Church, 2nd Place We Are Family
Bicycle: 1st Place Oxford College Farm
Truck: 1st Place Misfit Jeep Club, 2nd Place Alcovy Shrine Club
Tractor: 1st Place North Ga Two Cylinder Club
Go-Cart/ATV: 1st Place C-Town Riders
People danced their hearts out, ate barbecue and chatted with family and friends. Vendor booths lined the park, and kids giggled as they enjoyed activities like face painting, lawn games and a petting zoo.
“Everything is free,” Mathis said. “That is our biggest thing. We want to be able to put on an event that people can enjoy and don’t have to worry about spending an arm and a leg to have fun with their family.”
It would not be Georgia in July if the weather were not hot and sunny. Although the temperature was high, people’s spirits did not waver. Both the parade and the festival were a huge success.
“As hot as it is, you would think people would not want to come out, that they would just want to stay in the AC,” Mathis said. “But I think we’ve got a really good crowd this year.”
