All schools in Upshur County will close at 1 p.m. today. All B-UHS sporting events today are canceled.

Rock-climbing wall, inflatables and more to return for Fourth of July Festival Fridays event June 30

Create Buckhannon member Amanda Hayes attended the June 22 Consolidated Public Works Board meeting to request approval for the event, which coincides with Festival Fridays. / Photo by Monica Zalaznik

BUCKHANNON – Buckhannon’s Fourth of July Celebration falls on June 30 this year.

Create Buckhannon member Amanda Hayes attended the June 22 Consolidated Public Works Board meeting to request approval for the event, which coincides with Festival Fridays.

“The city is sponsoring the fireworks celebration, which we really appreciate, and it will once again be in conjunction with Festival Fridays, so we have entertainment that night, and we have some extra activities going on that night,” Hayes said.

The event will take place at Jawbone Park from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.

“The Elite Rivals Twirlers will be performing, and we would like to have the street closed on Florida Street from Madison Street to Main Street so that they can perform,” Hayes said. “They have about 80 twirlers, so they do not fit in Jawbone, and it’s also easier for them to perform on pavement than the grass.”

“We also have the rock-climbing wall back again this year, and they’ll be set up in the Public Safety Complex,” she added.

The Cartoon Headquarters inflatables will also make a return after making an appearance at the Almost Heaven BBQ Bash.

“They’ll have a similar setup to what they had for the BBQ bash, and they will be in Jawbone again; we need the extra electric panel setup that day for them, and they’ll be charging $12 per wristband for the kids to have fun that day,” Hayes said. “We also need some extra porta potties set up that evening because we don’t have enough restrooms to accommodate that size of a crowd, so I was hoping that those things could be accomplished today.”

Mayor Robbie Skinner said Create Buckhannon’s requests were pretty similar to previous years.

“I believe that this is consistent with years past, except for maybe the Florida Street closer from Madison to Main, but I think we’ve even done that in the past as well,” Skinner said. “We are looking forward to next weekend and kicking off the festivities.”

A city press release said the fireworks would take off in the same location as before, behind Walgreens, Premier Bank and Citizens Bank of West Virginia.

In a previous My Buckhannon article, city recorder Randy Sanders made some recommendations for the best places to watch the show.

“The best areas to see them are around Walgreens and Community Bank parking areas, and you can go back towards the courthouse and Jawbone Park – those are the better parts of the town to see the fireworks,” Sanders said.

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