2019 Fourth of July Parade and Activities Set for Cartersville.
Cartersville’s annual Fourth of July celebration, including a parade, concert and fireworks, is set for Thursday, July 4th. The events are presented by the Rotary Club of Etowah with WBHF FM 100.3 and AM 1450 coordinating the parade with the Rotary Club. The presenting sponsor for the parade is Shottenkirk Honda. The parade down Main Street in downtown Cartersville begins at 9 a.m. in the Tabernacle Baptist Church parking lot. The procession, which leaves Douglas Street, turns right onto Church Street, then continues to make a left on Bartow Street, left on Main Street, left on Tennessee Street and left on East Church Street. It ends back at the church.
This year’s Grand Marshall is Cartersville native and Georgia Supreme Court Justice, Robert Benham. Justice Benham is currently the longest serving member of the Supreme Court of Georgia. Appointed by Gov. Joe Frank Harris in December 1989, he was the first African-American ever appointed to the Supreme Court in its more than 140 years. On July 17, 1990, he won statewide election to a full term on the Supreme Court. He served as Chief Justice from 1995-2001, elected by his peers. Prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court, Justice Benham served on the Georgia Court of Appeals for five years. After completing law school, Justice Benham served in the U.S. Army Reserve, attaining the rank of Captain. He then served briefly as a trial attorney for the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc. He later returned to Cartersville, where he engaged in the private practice of law. He served as Special Assistant Attorney General and enjoyed two terms as the President of the Bartow County Bar Association. Benham announced in April that he will not be seeking re-election when his term expires next year.
“We are thrilled to have Shottenkirk Honda as the presenting sponsor of the parade this year, and we are still actively looking for parade participants”, stated WBHF station manager and Rotary Club of Etowah member, Matt Santini, when asked about the parade. “The Fourth of July Parade is one of the community service projects that we have taken on here at WBHF, and we are working with the Rotary Club of Etowah to build on last year’s parade.” In addition to honoring Justice Benham as our Grand Marshall, we will also be honoring our veterans. “As our community has grown, so has the workload of the police, fire, and EMS professionals who are saving and protecting lives every day. We felt like this parade was a great opportunity to recognize their professionalism and dedication.”
This year a “Patriotic Pup” contest will be a part of the parade. People are asked to dress up their furry friends in red, white and blue and join the parade. There will be prizes for first and second place and a portion of the proceeds from those entries will benefit the Etowah Valley Humane Society.
Proceeds from the parade benefit local charities through the Rotary Club of Etowah. A parade application and information about the parade can be found on the WBHF radio website at
wbhfradio.org and clicking the banner at the top of the page. You can also stop by the studios of WHBF in downtown Cartersville for an application.
The July 4th Celebration at Dellinger Park is a community- wide event that includes Arts & Crafts, children’s activities, entertainment and the largest fireworks ever!! All activities, other than the downtown parade, are at Dellinger Park on the huge football field. Park activities start at 2:00 p.m. and continue until 10:00 p.m.
VIP Tables are available at Dellinger Park. For $200 you get a reserved table for ten that will give you a great view of the Century Bank Concert Stage and the fireworks show and a reserved parking spot at the park. These tables must be reserved in advance of the event. The VIP form is on the Rotary Club of Etowah Facebook page.
Admission to Dellinger Park is free and parking is $5.00 per vehicle. More than 15,000 people are expected to celebrate the Fourth of July at Dellinger Park. Organizers of the activities at Dellinger say that Thanks to City of Cartersville, Bartow County and Century Bank of Georgia that they will again have a huge fireworks display. Fireworks will launch from Dellinger Park about 9:30 p.m. An Enormous Kid’s Zone sponsored by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta will feature huge inflatable slides, obstacle courses, bounces, Quad Euro Bungee and more.
There will also be live entertainment on the Century Bank of Georgia Stage that will feature local entertainment all day then Scott Thompson performs an acoustic show starting from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m., then Scott Thompson and Peachtree Station perform at 8:00 p.m. and take us on a musical ride until fireworks!!
Academy Sports + Outdoors viewing area will have 100 great seats for the fireworks and concert, to register for the seats use #Academyviewingarea on social media. Academy will provide a cozy chair in a great location and you get to take it home with you after the fireworks!!
You can find more information on the Fourth of July celebration in Cartersville on Facebook by searching “Cartersville July 4th Celebration”.