Harrisonburg’s annual Independence Day celebration, Valley Fourth, returns for the 14th year with a full day of activities on Saturday, July 4th from 8:30 am to 9:30 pm in Downtown Harrisonburg.
The festivities begin at 8:30 am with the Valley Fourth RUN, a charity race that begins in Court Square and goes through the heart of downtown. Runners can pick their distance and the charity they wish to support. Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance (HDR) is one of four charities that runners can select when signing up for the race.
At 11:30 am, competitors in the 3rd annual Grillin’ at the Pavilion Cook-off will light up their grills at the Turner Pavilion area. Teams will compete in a creative burger quick-fire challenge and serve up their best chicken wings, steak, and pork ribs for a chance to win cash prizes and the title of Valley Fourth’s Champion BBQ’er. Two hundred BBQ sampling packs will be available for purchase, beginning at3pm at the festival gate, offering festival attendees the opportunity to sample the teams’ people’s choice entries and vote for their favorite, from 3:00 to 6:00pm.
The aroma from the grills will combine with live music at “Beers N’ Cheers” from 4:00-9:30 pm in the Turner Pavilion and Municipal Lot. Beers N’ Cheers features Virginia craft beers, including Foxy Roxy, Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance’s second beer release in partnership with Pale Fire Brewing Company, Brothers Craft Brewing, and VA Eagle; wines by Bluestone Vineyard; and live music by The Band Concord and Love Canon.
There is also plenty of activities just for the kiddos, including face painting by Larkin Arts, a seed spitting contest by the Friendly City Food Co-op, “Touch a Truck” by the Harrisonburg Fire Department, inflatables by First Presbyterian Church, puppet shows in Court Square Theater, and more.
A Valley Fourth favorite, the “Get Outdoors & Get Moving” Parade will begin at 6:00 pm and travel south down Main Street. VA Momentum, an organization dedicated to organizing the Valley Fourth RUN and other events that energize the community and promote healthy activities will be this year’s Grand Marshal.
Other activities include an Art Market hosted by Larkin Arts, the “Summer in America Food Tour” led by Rocktown Bites! Food Tours, and a grand finale fireworks show. The fireworks will be set off at 9:30pm. The best viewing spot is at the Turner Pavilion.
A complete schedule can be found at DowntownHarrisonburg.org/ValleyFourth.
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