Celebrate America’s independence and escape the heat during the Star Spangled Banner Elk Fourth of July in the cool Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.
This annual event takes place Thursday, July 4, in 2024. It begins at 11 a.m. with an all-American parade along Banner Elk’s Main Street. The parade features cars, trucks, people and animals adorned in red, white and blue to honor America’s birthday. It’s one of the most popular Fourth of July parades in North Carolina.
The hour-long parade starts at the Lees-McRae College campus library and heads east along Main Street. It winds up in Tate-Evans Park, where the Party in the Park begins at noon. Banner Elk’s Party in the Park features old-fashioned kids’ games like three-legged races, sack races and egg tosses. A corn hole tournament is also on the schedule.
An emcee/DJ narrates the festivities and plays lively tunes. Food trucks serve up tasty delights, with vendors selling classics like ice cream, cotton candy, kettle corn and Italian ice.
The famous Kiwanis Duck Races begin at 12:30 p.m. Participants who purchase a “ticket” for one of the rubber ducks in the races receive a small keepsake duck. Entry fee is $5 per duck, and the keepsakes come in many different colors and designs.
Every keepsake duck carries a number matching a duck in one of the five races. The first race is at 12:30 p.m. and the four subsequent races take place about 20 minutes after the preceding race.
The winner of each of the five races receives $100 and MUST be present to claim their prize. Likewise for the second place winner in each race, who receives $50.
If winners are not present, the prizes go to the top two duck holders who are present.
Ducks are on sale in the park during the event and from kids walking up and down the parade route. In the days preceding the race, ducks are available at random pop-up tents throughout town.
“All ages enjoy the duck races because there is not a skill level involved and everyone has a chance to win,” says Ann Wolf, president of the Banner Elk Kiwanis Club, which organizes the Party in the Park. “And the spirit of the 4th of July is there with old-timey games, food trucks and more — making it a day for families to spend together having fun.”
Festivities conclude at 3 p.m. and folks are encouraged to walk about Banner Elk, visiting shops, galleries and restaurants.
There is much to see and do in this resort town at 3,700 feet elevation in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.
Art lovers can visit Banner Elk’s Art on the Greene show Saturday and Sunday (July 6-7) on the lawn of the Historic Banner Elk School. For more info on Art on the Greene, check out this story.
Fireworks shows typically take place the evening of July 4th or thereabouts at Sugar Mountain Resort and Beech Mountain Resort.
Make plans now to attend the Star Spangled Banner Elk Fourth, a celebration that makes Uncle Sam proud!