Thousands attend North Carolina Fourth of July festival in Southport – WWAYTV3

SOUTHPORT, NC (WWAY) — Thousands of people came out Thursday morning to enjoy Southport’s annual Independence Day parade, which is all part of the North Carolina 4th of July festival.

This is the 52nd year that Southport has held the official North Carolina 4th of July Festival, though celebrations in the city date back as far as 1795.

Thousands lined Moore and Howe Streets to see the parade, with Harper Vick being just one of the attendees.

“I feel like a lot of people are usually down here for it, so it makes it more special cause like, there’s like a lot more stuff going around,” Vick said.

Lots of people took part, including the South Brunswick High School Marching Band, newly-crowned Miss North Carolina Carrie Everett, and North Carolina Secretay of State Elaine Marshall.

Southport resident Chris Propst has been coming to the parade for years with his parents.

He said it’s quite the place to celebrate our nation’s birthday.

“Ah man, everybody here is just so nice and welcoming,” Propst said. “It’s so many vendors here, lots to do, lots of stuff for the kids. They do the downtown stuff, I mean it’s just nice.”

“We’ve been visiting down here, we’ve been coming to the parade since he was young, we always been here, vacationed here every year,” Chris’s mother Shari said. “So vacation, they go fishing and its just a nice community to be a part of.”

Mike Dolan is a Vietnam veteran. He’s been coming to the parade for years as well and said he always looking forward to one thing.

“I always love the high school bands because the enthusiasm of the young kids, you can’t top that,” Dolan said.

Along with the parade, the North Carolina 4th of July festival attracts thousands to the area, providing an economic boost for local business owners.