gatlinburg salutes the military at the annual 4th of july celebration

The United States Armed Forces will be well represented in Gatlinburg this 4^th of July weekend as the City of Gatlinburg honors all members of the United States Armed Forces as the Grand Marshals of the 4^th of July Midnight Parade.

Gatlinburg kicks off America’s Independence Day celebration with the nation’s first parade, which begins at 12 a.m. on Friday, July 4, to the cheers of close to 100,000 spectators who will gather along the Parkway for the 33^rd annual midnight showcase.

The weekend features a special four-day tribute to our four branches of military service beginning on July 3 on Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts Plaza, where booths will be set up by the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Marines with information and demonstrations. The booths will be manned by members of each branch and feature special demonstrations, a climbing wall and even enlistment information. The booths will remain up through the 4^th of July weekend.

This year’s parade will be highlighted by a special appearance by the U.S. Army’s 129^th Marching Band from Nashville. The musicians of the Tennessee Army National Guard have a long and distinguished history, serving the state and our country in peacetime as well as during armed conflict. The unit is headquartered at Houston Barracks in Nashville, Tenn., and includes marching, concert, rock and jazz sections which will perform in Gatlinburg during the 4^th of July celebration.

A highlight of July 4 will be the U.S. Army’s 129^th concert band performance from 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies Plaza, with its final number, “Stars and Stripes Forever,” leading up to the day’s grand finale. The fireworks extravaganza will be visible all along the Parkway starting about 10 p.m.

The Army unit’s rock band will play during a reception honoring the military starting at 9:30 a.m. the morning of July 3, then at 7 p.m. the jazz and rock bands will perform at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, leading up to the Midnight Parade.

The jazz and rock bands are also scheduled to entertain visitors at Arrowmont from 10 a.m. to noon on July 4 and 5, and the concert band and the jazz and tuba ensembles will play at Aquarium Plaza from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on July 5.

For more information, call Jim Davis at (865) 436-0509 or call the toll-free information line at (800) 568-4748 or visit www.gatlinburg.com.