Each year the Silver City Grant County Chamber of Commerce hosts the Silver City 4th of July Celebration. This year is no different from the past several years. The holiday will be held on Wednesday – July 4. A majority of downtown activities will take place at Gough Park, located at 1200 North Pope Street in Silver City, New Mexico.

The theme this year is "Uncle Sam Wants You _______." You get to fill in the blank. At the Chamber of Commerce, we say "Uncle Sam Wants You to have fun!" It should be interesting to see the variety of sayings that groups will come up with for the holiday celebration.

The Chamber of Commerce office has already been signing up vendors for booth spaces in Gough Park. We've already received many food vendor applications from most of the usual food booth vendors. And the registrations for the 4th of July Parade are coming in daily. This is going to be a great holiday celebration. If you want to have a booth in the park or you want to be in the parade, call the chamber of commerce office at (575) 538-3785 to get registration forms.

Speaking of the parade, the parade will begin next to Wells Fargo Bank traveling south on Pope Street and Bullard Street. The parade will turn east on Broadway to cross The Big Ditch Bridge, then turn north on Hudson Street. The parade will then turn west on 13th Street ending at Gough Park. The 2018 Parade Grand Marshal is Bruce Ashburn, the 2017 Citizen of the Year winner.

It is my understanding the Kiwanis will once again hold their pancake breakfast and BBQ lunch fundraisers under the large dome at Gough Park. We have hired The Illusion Band to play live music in the Gough Park gazebo. A new addition that has been planned for Gough Park is a mechanical bull-riding machine. If you get hungry, you should be able to purchase hamburgers, fried chicken, tacos, burritos, roasted corn on the cob, turkey legs, fresh fruit, cold beverages, pulled pork and lots more. We have heard from several groups that will be passing out American flags during the parade and at their booths.

As the bright sky turns dark, you can start watching the sky for the First American Bank – Town of Silver City Fireworks Show. The fireworks will be shot from the top of the hill behind the Grant County Administration building located at 1400 East Highway 180 in Silver City.

Along with the festivities at Gough Park, there are other activities that you to enjoy around town. There will be a Quilt Show at the Grant County Conference Center on July 2, 3, and 4. On Independence Day, the Silver City Museum will have their annual Ice Cream Social. So, there are several things going on that will keep you busy through-out the day.

If you want more information, call me at the Silver City Grant County Chamber of Commerce… (575) 538-3785 or send an email to info@silvercity.org. There are deadlines for booth space and parade entry registrations, so turn in your paperwork now!