Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1502298
12 UCW JUNE 28 - JULY 4, 2023 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM ere are plenty of things to do in and around Fayetteville on the 4th of July. e Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra presents the annual Inde- pendence Concert & Fireworks at Festival Park. Special guests include the Fayetteville Symphonic Band and the 82nd Airborne Division All-Ameri- can Band. is patriotic event is free. Gates open at 6 p.m. and the concert begins at 7:15p.m. ere will be food and drink vendors and a children's play area. Personal tents, pets, bicycles and scooters are prohibited. For those looking for a relaxing spot as the sun starts going down, head on over to the Cool Spring Downtown District's block party taking place on Maxwell Street. e July 4th FAYcation celebration runs from 7 to 10 p.m. and will have a little something for everyone. ere will be local DJs, a beer garden, BBQ from local vendors, yard games, water fun and much more. e FAYcation block party will feature world renowned reggae/ dancehall queen, Patra. e Billboard- charting artist from Kingston, Jamaica, will be performing and bringing excit- ing island vibes to Fayetteville e event is free to attend, but guests can register at www.event- brite.com/e/july-4th-faycation-tick- ets-638893817607 is Cool Spring Downtown District block party comes on the heels of their successful Juneteenth Jubilee, which saw an estimated 28,000 visitors dur- ing the weekend. Director of Special Projects Ashanti Bennett says these events benefit the city by attracting visitors and new business. "It's the economic growth that's making downtown stronger," Bennett said. "We're working hard to get rid of vacancies so that ... there's some- thing to do all the time in downtown, which is something we're pretty proud of. ese days ... You gotta plan your nights out in advance because there is a lot going on all of the time." ISAIAH JONES, U&CW Graphic Designer. COMMENTS? editor@upand- comingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. Fort Liberty Fourth of July celebration open to all by HANNAH LEE Fourth of July is all about celebrating inde- pendence and what it means to have freedoms of democracy and liberty. What better place to celebrate liberty than Fort Liberty? e annual Fourth of July celebra- tion on the military installation will kick off at 3 p.m. at Fort Liberty's Parade Field. e 82nd All-American Rock Band will start performing at 4:45 p.m. e Golden Knights will be flying in with a demonstration at 5:45 p.m. e Flag Ceremony and the National Anthem will be performed shortly afterward. is year's entertainment will fea- ture Gavin DeGraw from 6:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. and headliner Sheryl Crow starts at 8:30 p.m. DeGraw is an American singer- songwriter who rose to fame with his song "I Don't Want to Be" from his de- but album "Chariot." e song became the main theme song for drama series "One Tree Hill." Other notable singles from his debut album were "Chariot" and "Follow rough." DeGraw's duet with Col- bie Caillat on "We Both Know" for the 2013 film Safe Haven received a Grammy Award nomination. Crow is a 2023 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Inductee. Crow released her 1993 debut album, "Tuesday Night Music Club" — an album that resulted in three of her nine Grammy Awards, including Best Female Rock Vocal and Record of the Year for "All I Wanna Do." Crow produced and played several of the instruments on her 1996 self-titled sophomore album, which was another commercial hit and won two additional Grammy Awards. Her success continued into the 2000s with Platinum albums "C'mon, C'mon" and "Wildflower" and Gold- certified "Detours." ose who want to set up a tent can reserve a spot through the MWR Fam- ily Programs website. Tent City rentals are exclusive to DOD ID card holders. Tent City registrations are available on a first come, first serve basis. Tent spots are available for $25, provided you bring your own tent. Register online using the at https:// webtrac.mwr.army.mil/ website. If you have any questions, call 910-396-7060. Guests can bring their own food, non-alcoholic drinks and ice. Pets, glass bottles and grills are not allowed. ere will be food and drink vendors on site as well. e night will conclude with a fabu- lous fireworks display at 9:45 p.m. While this event is open to the pub- lic, non-DoD cardholders are encour- aged to obtain a 30-day pass at the All American Visitor Center at 3550 All American Freeway before the event to avoid delays at the gate on the day of the event. For information, visit https://liberty. armymwr.com/calendar/event/4th- fort-celebration/5952266/23521 HANNAH LEE, Assistant Editor. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910-484-6200. Hope Mills celebrates Independence Week by HANNAH LEE Start off Independence Week with a bang and a parade in Hope Mills. e city is hosting a day- long event on Saturday, July 1, filled with music and activities that will keep the whole family happy and occupied. is will be the 41st Annual Town of Hope Mills Independence Day Celebration. Festivities will begin at 4 p.m. with a parade. e parade route will begin at Hope Mills Middle School and will conclude at Rockfish Elementary. e parade will have floats, cars and local businesses and organizations. Directly following the parade, Inde- pendence Celebration in the Park will begin at Hope Mills Municipal Park. ere will be fun for people of all ages and special musical performances. is year, entertainment includes two live musical guests, Krispee Bis- cuits and Paige King Johnson. Krispee Biscuits is an eclectic electronic duo fresh out of Wilmington, who are equipped with a classically trained violinist and a Future Funk-bred DJ maestro. "Paige King Johnson is a four-time Carolina Country Music Award winner from Angier. She has shared the stage with many great artists over the years, such as Kane Brown, Joe Nichols, Kylie Morgan, Jimmie Allen, Diamond Rio, Scotty McCreery, Neal McCoy and more," said Meghan Freeman, As- sistant Director Programs and Events for Hope Mills Parks and Recreation. "e 2023 Independence Day Celebration is much like that of last year's celebration. Patrons can look forward to an evening filled with food from over 15 food trucks, three local breweries, one local winery, and stilt walkers from Imagine Circus," Free- man told Up & Coming Weekly. e Celebration will conclude at 9 p.m. with the annual fireworks display provided by Pyro Shows East Coast. For those who want to celebrate a little earlier, Hope Mills Parks and Recreation is hosting an Indepen- dence Luncheon for those ages 55 and older. e luncheon is on urs- day, June 29 at 11 a.m. e luncheon will be a fully catered meal with music and dancing. Come and celebrate independence with food, fellowship and fun. ere will be door prizes and maybe an extra surprise or two. Tickets are $15 and must be bought beforehand at https:// secure.rec1.com/NC/hope-mills-nc/ catalog. For more information about the Independence Day Luncheon or the Independence Celebration on July 1, go to www.townofhopemills.com. FOURTH OF JULY HANNAH LEE, Assistant Editor. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin- gweekly.com. 910-484-6200. Fayetteville hosts concert, fireworks, block party by ISAIAH JONES