Andrews — There was something for everyone during this year’s Andrews Fourth of July Celebration.
The event – which was held Saturday at Andrews Recreation Park, two days before the actual holiday – had people passing by throughout the day when the festivities started at 11 a.m.
Mayor James Reid and Andrews VFW 7620 commander Scott Ramler offered opening remarks to remind people what Independence Day was truly about, and the fun started from there. Families and spectators packed the baseball field for the annual Peanut Drop, which Reid honored on his shirt for the day.
His shirt proclaimed: “It’s not the 4th of July until deez drop,” with a picture of a peanut.
There were contests at the pool, including best dive and biggest belly flop, as well as other contests at the park, including egg toss and a home run derby. It was a chance for vendors to come out and sell to the community as well, including several relatively new businesses.
For Starla Huffman, who had a tent for her “fairy hair” tinsel, the event reminded her of growing up as a kid in Andrews in the 1980s and 1990s. She drove five-plus hours from Fayetteville back to her hometown for the event.
Michelle and Terry Morgan moved to Andrews a year and a half ago and started the MyAndrewsNC campaign, which sells Andrews-themed merchandise. After quickly falling in love with the town, they didn’t see a lot of Andrews gear that appealed to people and could be something tourists could buy to remember their time here.
They partnered with a Savannah College Arts and design graduate to figure out the logos, while the couple figured out the merchandise side of it. They debuted their designs at the Andrews Spring Fling and have been at every Food Truck Friday since.
“This is quintessential small-town community,” Michele said of the event. “James (Ellis) and Brian (Wilson) have been working really hard on this parks and rec thing, and I feel like today is a culmination of that for the whole community.”
Eagle Fork Vineyards from Hayesville also was there, though with a focus on the kids. They brought mocktails, which took inspiration from classic alcoholic drinks. The Cherry Bomb was inspired by the Shirley Temple. Patriotic Punch was based off of the Pina Colada but mixed Hawaiian Punch, sprite and grenadine. 16-year-old was Mackenzie Wilson was the brains behind the idea.
“My parents are with Aerojump,” Wilson said, referring to the company that provided inflatables for the event. “And I’ve worked with kids basically my entire life, and helping kids and making them have fun.”
Despite some night rain, the day still ended with a boom, with the fireworks going off just after 10 p.m.
“Even on the second of July, it’s still fun,” Michele Morgan said.