Montreat Conference Center and Black Mountain announce Fourth of July events
From morning parade to evening fireworks, the Swannanoa Valley hosts traditional Independence Day celebrations
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
June 22, 2023
The 54th Annual Montreat Fourth of July Parade will begin at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, July 4. The Independence Day celebration is one of many hosted by the Montreat Conference, while the Town of Black Mountain will begin its downtown fire works display at dark. Photo by Fred McCormick
Local traditions will return to the Swannanoa, Tuesday, July 4, as the Montreat Conference Center and Town of Black Mountain announced scheduled events from morning through night.
The Independence Day festivities, highlighted by the 54th Annual Montreat Fourth of July Parade and downtown Black Mountain fireworks display, kick off at 7 a.m., with the Annual Gate Race at the Montreat gate.
The conference center will host a variety of morning events, according to a tentative schedule released, June 16, including a 10 a.m. flag raising ceremony on the Anderson Auditorium lawn that will include a performance of the Star Spangled Banner. The gathering will be followed by the parade, which begins at 10:30 a.m. at the intersection of Appalachian Way and Lookout Road.
Generations of Montreat conferees and local clubs and organizations will celebrate Independence Day for the 54th year with the return of the annual Fourth of July parade. Photo by Fred McCormick
The procession will be led by grand marshals, Angie Murphy, town clerk of Montreat, and retired NASA astronaut John Casper, as the route takes participants along Lookout Road to Assembly Drive and around Lake Susan. Entries include generations of conferees representing multiple clubs and organizations, including Montreat College, the Montreat Scottish Society, the Town of Montreat, the Tarnished Brass Band and dozens more. The traditional summer homecoming event brings longtime Montreat visitors together from throughout the country.
Montreat College will host a book sale, from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., in the L. Nelson Ball Library, while the conference center holds an ice cream social and open house in the William Black Lodge, from 2 - 4 p.m. Scheduled events also include a silent auction, held by the Currie Craft Center and Sally Jones Pottery, from 2 - 5 p.m., coinciding with free pool entry, boat rentals and tennis.
Lawn games at Anderson Auditorium and the “Old-Timers Softball Game” will both begin at 2 p.m. The festivities in Montreat will close, from 7 - 10 p.m., with the Fourth of July Big Circle Mountain Dance on the courts of the Cornwell Tennis Center.
Harwood Home for Funerals will continue its annual traditions of hosting a free barbecue, serving hamburgers, hot dogs and drinks on the front lawn, from 12-3 p.m.
As the sun goes down over downtown Black Mountain, the Town will finalize preparations for its annual fireworks display, which begins “at dark.” The pyrotechnics can be viewed from multiple downtown locations, including Town Square.
For a complete tentative schedule of Montreat Conference Center Fourth of July events, or to view a livestream of the parade, visiting montreat.org.