This year marks the 250th anniversary of the nation’s birth, a tremendous milestone that is taking Independence Day celebrations to a whole new level in 2026.
While there are several options for local observations, one outstanding choice is the America 250 Downtown Blairsville Parade sponsored by the Blue Ridge Mountains Chapter Sons of the American Revolution.
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Starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 4, the “once-in-a-lifetime” parade will roll through downtown along the tried-and-true local parade route, making its way from the Old Middle School Gym to Cleveland Street and around the square.
The parade will kick off with a literal bang thanks to a 20-inch signal cannon donated to the local Sons by resident Ray Covington. Dubbed “The RayC” in honor of its donor, the cannon will be stationed at the old gym, hopefully to be heard by spectators encircling the Historic Courthouse.
Serving as Parade Grand Marshal will be Wayne Roshaven, recognized for his tireless service to others and storied military career.
Roshaven enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as a young man, and as a civilian, he worked with the Federal Aviation Administration as an air traffic control specialist and a training specialist.
Impressively, Roshaven has spent 41 years lending his expertise to the United States Air Force’s Civil Air Patrol, where he teaches youth how to fly the friendly skies and helps search for missing and fallen aircraft.
As part of his volunteer work with the Marine Corps League Unicoi Detachment #783, Roshaven has headed up the Marine Toys for Tots campaign on a local level for eight years. For 11 years, he has served as commander of the North Georgia Honor Guard Eastern Division.
So far, more than 30 people have committed to participating in the parade, whether that means building floats or just driving their vehicles through as part of the lineup.
Local student bands will not be able to participate due to summer vacation, but local SAR Vice President Jared Ogden promises that “patriotic music will be blasting.”
“Part of our overall mission is to celebrate patriotism – this is certainly the right time – and to educate our citizens on our country’s history and heritage,” Ogden said. “It is only through knowing of the sacrifices and the history and heritage of our country can we fully understand what a great republic that we have.”
Blairsville has never held a Fourth of July parade, so Ogden was pleasantly surprised when local veteran Jim Yohe approached him about holding a parade. Yohe believes it’s only natural for the Sons of the American Revolution to be sponsoring the major anniversary event.
“They actually are the foundational sons of our country,” Yohe said of the Sons, which is a fraternal organization whose members trace their lineage to revolutionary patriots. “It is an opportunity to work together to support the most foundational opportunity in a lifetime of 250 years of how we have actually sustained our country.”
Given how many events are being held in observance of America 250, Yohe said he is proud of the interest taken by so many people who have jumped at the chance to participate in the parade.
“I am so pleased we still have a lot of individuals, businesses and veteran groups that are actually going to participate,” he said.
Coinciding with the parade, the Downtown Development Authority will be offering free patriotic face painting, popcorn and flags in front of Blairsville City Hall from 9-11:30 a.m., so get to the square early and make the event a fun family affair.
