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The day-long event , which is held on July 4, begins with a parade at 10 a.m., with line-up starting at 9 a.m., and ends after dark with fireworks. Throughout the day, there will be games and activities, crafts, food for sale, bounce houses, pony rides, wrestling, a cornhole tournament, train rides and music.

Line-up for the parade will be at Charity Hill Baptist Church, 423 Union Hill Road, Thurmond, and anyone who wants to can participate in the parade.

Once the parade makes its way from the church to the Mountain Park Elementary School grounds, the rest of the day�s activities kick into gear. At about 11 a.m., the National Anthem is sung by Rachel Hinson and a prayer is held, and then the performers take the stage.

This year�s entertainment will include Saved By The Cross, Summit Trace, Luke Mears, Thirteenth Tribe, Mountain Park Old Time Band, and Heather Coe Cox, a finalist on American Idol and who will be auditioning for The Voice in the fall. The feature band, Coco Loco Party Band, will take the stage at about 6 p.m.

The Ruritan club will host two booths this year, one for concessions of Pizza Hut pizza and drinks and the other to sell raffle tickets, T-shirts featuring the Mountain Park 4th of July logo, cornhole tournament sign-up, sign-ups for veterans recognition, lost and found, and providing flyers for the day�s events and times.

Raffle tickets for the $1,000 giveaway are $10 each and they can be purchased until the drawing, which is held in the evening.

Veterans are recognized on the main stage at 2:30 p.m., and other activities available include bounce houses from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 8 p.m. for an unlimited $5 ticket; train rides; cornhole tournament at 4 p.m.; pony rides beginning at 11 a.m.; a kiddie tractor pull at 3 p.m.; and games on the ball field for all ages beginning at 1 p.m. and including egg toss, sack race, water balloons, wheelbarrow race, softball and more. Also, there will be face painting and wrestling.

A canned food drive will be held to benefit the Foothills Food Pantry in Dobson, and the American Red Cross blood drive will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Mountain Park Volunteer Fire Department adjacent to the school property.