Greenwood’s Stars & Stripes is the premier Fourth of July celebration.
That is, the first in a barrage of celebrations across the state, coming nearly a week before the actual Independence Day date.
Long ago the city figured out that fireworks shows — really good fireworks shows staged by state-of-the-art pyrotechnicians — come at a discounted price if you schedule them the week before the Fourth, before other communities have even begun to think of stars and stripes.
So we get the 20-minute show for the price of a 10-minute show — and we get it a week early.
This town has got it down.
Regulars who know the drill show up early to set up their lawn chairs in a good shady spot with a view of the stage, a view of the Veterans Bridge (from where the fireworks are launched), and a close-up view of Greenwood Market Place’s watermelon booth.
“We come every year,” said Jerry Ware, looking cool as a cucumber on a 95-degree Thursday afternoon in her straw hat, decked out in red and blue. “We wouldn’t miss it.”
On the bandstand, Jackson’s 601 band test-test-tested, then cranked out a mean Motown sound, slinging sweat with every dance move.
“I know it’s hot out here, and believe it or not, we’re gonna make it even hotter,” the lead singer said. The beautiful back-up singer banged her tambourine, smiled and flipped her long straight hair to that.
Around the perimeter of the park known as The Park Between the Bridges, vendors hawked their wares.
At Greenwood’s Stars & Stripes, you could get an alligator po’boy from Dwayne’s, a Holcomb specialty meats, seafood, crawfish and deer processing business with a deluxe mobile kitchen.
You could get funnel cake fries. Fried ribs. Barbecue nachos.
You could get a shaved ice, dripping from a paper cone in flavors you didn’t even know existed, including Tiger Blood, a red strawberry-coconut concoction.
From Teoc Smokers’ barbecue tent, a cloud of smoke blew eastward in the hot breeze, settling over early arrivals slipping down the hill onto the festival grounds.
In the far northwest corner of the park, the splash pad provided wet, cool relief for kids tall and short, shirted and shirtless. On the edges of the cement fountain, grownups watched, wishing for a little splash to waft their way.
The band sang “Slip Away” and “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” and everybody over the age of 50 robotically mouthed the lyrics, the soundtrack of their youth.
Beneath the giant American flag, stars and stripes visible from across the river, a band of veterans in crisp white, short-sleeved shirts and black slacks moved in unison with a band of Boy Scouts across the big lawn, toward the stage for the flag ceremony.
But not before 601 launched into “Proud Mary,” the muddy Yazoo sparkling behind them.
“And we’re rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on a river,” the beautiful backup singer sang, giving it her best Tina Turner moves.
Greenwood Stars & Stripes was off to a great start one more time, a week early ’cause that’s the way we do it in Greenwood.
We wouldn’t have it any other way.
•Contact Kathryn Eastburn at 581-7235 or keastburn@gwcommonwealth.com.
