Celebrate Fourth of July at Meeks Park, Suches

Chamber President Steve Rowe hopes families will come out early to take advantage of the best parking spots and a full day of fun at Meeks, complete with bounce houses, cornhole, kickball, food trucks, local church-sponsored food/activities and more.

The bounteous fireworks display will spark off after dark, typically around 9:20 p.m. and lasting roughly 25-30 minutes, and guests often show up hours in advance – some as early as 9 a.m. – to do some barbecuing, play family games and generally enjoy the patriotic holiday outdoors.

Parking will be available throughout Meeks Park as well as across Georgia 515 at the North Georgia Technical College Blairsville Campus, where guests will also find several food trucks with crowd favorites: boiled peanuts, cotton candy, pork rinds, kettle corn and lemonade.

Importantly, there are no fireworks allowed at North Georgia Tech, so attendees are asked to keep those at home.

The cost of fireworks goes up about 5% each year, Rowe said, and fortunately, a bevy of generous sponsors plus the Union County Commissioner’s Office have contributed financially in 2025 to help make the decades-old tradition possible for locals and visitors alike.

Community members can help support the free-to-the-public fireworks show, too, by purchasing the new Fourth of July T-shirts with a hand-drawn design by the chamber’s own Gracie Nix, and by participating in the “Where the Mountains and Memories Meet” raffle valued at over $3,000.

Each $10 raffle ticket provides a chance to win the whole raffle package centered on tailgating and summer fun. The winner will be announced just before the fireworks show, and people do not need to be present to win.

Tickets and T-shirts can be purchased at the Chamber of Commerce and United Community Bank, and the chamber will have people walking around with tickets in the run-up to the fireworks.

“The Fourth of July is a celebration of our nation’s independence,” Rowe said. “You look at everything that’s going on in the world, and you look at the struggle that other counties have – I know this sounds kind of geekish or whatever, but I’m proud to be an American.

“To me, celebrating the Fourth of July is celebrating our history and how we got to where we are. It’s the community coming together, from the grandparents to the kids; it’s picnics during the day and fireworks at night.

“And we definitely celebrate the veterans every chance we get, including on Independence Day, because they’re the ones that have put their lives on the line to give us the freedoms we’ve got.”

Folks looking for a more intimate Fourth of July experience can attend the annual fireworks by the Suches Fire Department. The fireworks will shoot off at dark on Friday, with festivities to begin around 5 p.m. at Woody Gap School and food/drinks available for purchase.

“This event is made possible by the generous support of sponsors to cover the costs of fireworks,” the Suches Fire Department has noted in the past. “This allows us to avoid using operating funds of the department, which go towards protecting and serving our community.”

People who would like to offset the costs of the fireworks display, hosted annually by the firefighters of Suches, can send donations to P.O. Box 84, Suches, GA 30572. There will also be firefighters walking around with boots to collect donations for attendees who wish to give.

Independence Day celebrations will continue this weekend with the ever-popular Nottely Boat Parade. Held at the Nottely Marina, the parade features a contest with trophies, and boat decoration themes range from patriotic to whatever people dream up with their imaginations.

The parade will take place on Saturday, July 5, starting at 11 a.m., with trophies and awards to be handed out at noon.

“Join us for the decades long Lake Nottely tradition!” the Marina invites. “Decorate whatever vessel you have and join the Fourth of July celebration as only Lake Nottely does the best! Pontoon, jet ski, canoe, amphib car… whatever floats you on down!

“Just join in on the fun and enjoy participating! Free, fun event for the whole family and no registration. Our lake folks just show up full of spirit each and every year!”

2025 trophies include three “Should’ve Been A Trophy” Awards, a “Classic Boat Award,” the “Fun Bunch Award,” “Most Patriotic Award,” plus special trophies for First, Second and Third Places.

“Carpooling/boat pooling is highly recommended,” the Marina said. “Parking and anchoring space is limited. Please stay outside the no-wake zone near buoys without obstructing navigation of others (leave room for boats to pass by as needed).

“All boat operators and guests must obey all laws and regulations. Please, no swimming on or around boats during the parade. No swimming from or around docks.

“The marina crew looks forward to sharing another wonderful Fourth of July weekend with you all!”

To see other local Independence Day events, check out the chamber calendar at https://www.visitblairsvillega.com/.