Silence on the Fourth

Column by Chris Graham
Poll Question – Should Waynesboro move Extravaganza to the Fourth?

Ever wondered why Waynesboro doesn’t do anything on the Fourth?
If you’re new to town, it might seem quite odd, indeed – what with the fact that the city has nothing in the way of even a minor fireworks show at the end of the day to mark the anniversary that we declared our independence from Britain.

Having been here all my life, I can say that while I don’t know this to be official, it seems to date back to the days when The Statler Brothers held their Fourth of July soiree over in Staunton every year – and drew visitors to the area from across the country and across the world.

It didn’t make sense for Waynesboro to even try anything, or so the thinking went. So when the River City began its own midsummer festival, it moved it back a week and called it Summer Extravaganza.

The Extravaganza is pretty much what you’d expect of a Fourth celebration – two days of music and games capped off by a fireworks show on Sunday night that is usually pretty much the best one of the year in the Valley.

That said … now that the Statlers have been out of the local Fourth business for, what, a baker’s dozen years now, isn’t it time to at least consider doing something formal in Waynesboro on the Fourth?

I don’t know myself – I’m just asking. Seriously, I could be persuaded either way on this one.

Chris Graham is the executive editor of The Augusta Free Press.