Independence Day celebrations will be going on for three consecutive days this year in Richmond County.
Events blast off Thursday, July 3 with the Tonez performing in this month’s installment of Rockingham’s Plaza Jam summer concert series.
The band — which features a horn section and six lead vocalists — made its Plaza Jam debut in 2019 and performed again in 2021, playing a wide range of music including oldies, Motown, rock, funk and country.
AMVETS Post 316 will be selling food in the parking lot of Leath Memorial Library, with Sunset Slush offering cool treats to beat the heat.
The show starts at 6:30 p.m.
The Tonez perform at Plaza Jam in 2021.
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At the same time, the city of Hamlet kicks off its annual Independence Day celebration in two locations to view the fireworks show.
The main location will be at Main Street Park across from the Depot, with several activities — including the Hamlet Fire Department’s “Super Soaker,” a sidewalk chalk art contest and face painting, as well as live music from The Sand Band.
There will also be a host of food trucks on site: Burger Bros; Kona Ice; Puckered Up Lemonade; Funcessions; Minis on the Go; Mama Blair’s; Tacos Mr. Pancho; Gravy Train; SeaSoul Melody; Jonesi’s Cheesecakes; and Max’s Millstone BBQ.
Spectators watching from Hamlet City Lake will also have several options to choose from: Alford’s Smoke N Grill; Simon’s Kitchen; Kona Ice; Erica’s Cake Factory; G’s Grab & Grub; Ray Ray’s Funnel Cakes; and Twist and Twingle.
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City officials urge those attending to be prepared for traffic delays and road closures near the park.
Hamlet’s former fireworks vendor retired in 2023, causing the event to be moved to dates either before or after the actual holiday for the past several years.
Laurinburg-based EchoVibe will be performing at Axe to Grind after the fireworks.
For those looking to celebrate on the actual holiday, the Ellerbe Lions Club is once again hosting its annual Fourth of July Jamboree, with activities — including karaoke — in the late afternoon and early evening hours before the fireworks show.
The Lions Club will be serving food in the main kitchen and there will also be several other food vendors on site: Burger Bros; Minis on the Go; Tacos Mr. Pancho; and SnoBiz Shaved Ice.
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Gates open at 4 p.m. Entry for the event — which serves as the club’s only fundraiser of the year — is $5, and children 12 and under will be admitted free. Additional donations to help cover costs of the fireworks will also be accepted.
Back in Hamlet, Atlantic Coast Wrestling will be hosting “Red, White and Bash” at RAR Automotive Repair, with several titles on the line. Bell time is 7:15 p.m.
The town of Hoffman is hosting an Independence Day celebration from noon-6 p.m. Saturday, July 5 at the Recreational Center, 106 Thompson St.
That event is slated to feature food trucks, a car show, games, musical entertainment and more.
Later that evening, The Boostdoctor brings Carolina vs the World back to Rockingham Dragway. Gates open at 2 p.m., the track goes hot at 5 p.m. and a racing shoot-out is scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m.
