Plans laid for annual Firemen's Fourth in Huntsville
Plus: A weekend checkpoint on the North Cumberland WMA, and a note about trash pickup in Oneida for the holiday
Good Thursday evening! This is The Weekender, a final look at this week’s news from the Independent Herald. The Daybreaker (Monday) and The Weekender (Thursday evening) are our two news-first newsletters. We publish several other newsletters throughout the week, as well as our regular E-Edition on Thursday and our Varsity E-Edition on Sunday (during sports season). If you’d like to adjust your subscription to include (or exclude) any of these newsletters, do so here. If you haven’t subscribed, please consider doing so!
Today’s newsletter is sponsored by Buckeye Home Medical Equipment. Serving Scott County and several other communities in the Upper Cumberland region, Buckeye is a full-line DME providing home health equipment to its patients.
Plans made for Huntsville’s Firemen’s Fourth Festival
HUNTSVILLE | The Town of Huntsville’s Firemen’s Fourth Festival will be largely unchanged this year — beginning with the New River Run and ending with fireworks.
Huntsville Mayor Dennis Jeffers said Wednesday that the annual 4th of July festival will see no significant changes from the past several years. It will begin with the New River 5k/10k run and the Huntsville Fire Department’s pancake breakfast fundraiser at 7 a.m.
There will be a number of vendors set up on the courthouse mall in downtown Huntsville throughout the day on Friday, July 4, including multiple food vendors and many others.
“We have a lot of booths and there’ll be a lot of stuff going on,” Jeffers said.
Returning once again this year will be the kids’ carnival, which will occupy the lower end of the mall, or the north end near Baker Highway.
The annual Independence Day parade will again be at night, in keeping with a new tradition that began during the covid era. The lineup for the parade will begin at 6 p.m. on the westbound shoulder of Baker Highway near the First Baptist Church on the east side of town.
Jeffers said the parade route will be the same as last year: westbound on Baker Highway to the courthouse mall, then circling the mall in a reverse direction — meaning it will enter on Court Street and exit on Huntsville Drive. Upon exiting the mall, the parade will turn left and continue west on Baker Highway. This is a change that was implemented last year to help with traffic flow, preventing the parade from having to retrace its steps along Baker Highway to the church.
Though some parade entries will choose to go all the way to Huntsville City Park before disbanding, Jeffers said the parade will be essentially over once it reaches White Rock Baptist Church.
As usual, Huntsville’s firefighters will set off fireworks as dusk descends on the downtown area at 10 p.m. By that point, thousands of people are expected to have gathered on the mall and in the downtown area for what will be the region’s largest 4th of July fireworks show.
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Temperature records fall as heat wave scorches the region
ONEIDA | Scott County’s all-time hottest temperature for the date of June 23 was set this week, as the temperature reached an official high of 93° in Oneida, as measured by the National Weather Service.
The following day, the temperature hit 94°, another daily heat record. Scott County recorded five straight days of 90° temperatures beginning Saturday:
Saturday: 90°
Sunday: 91°
Monday: 93°
Tuesday: 94°
Wednesday: 92° (unofficial temperature measured at the Scott County Airport)
Temperatures are expected to settle back into the upper 80s this weekend, then into the mid 80s next week.
TWRA plans checkpoint on North Cumberland WMA
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will conduct an OHV compliance checkpoint on the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area tomorrow from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The checkpoint will be located in the area of Red Ash and Wheeler Gap in Campbell County. If that area is not available, the secondary choice for the checkpoint will be Flat Woods Road.
Consuming or possessing drugs or alcohol is prohibited on the WMA, and helmets are required for all riders under the age of 18.
Oneida trash pickup schedule
ONEIDA | Residences and businesses that have their trash normally picked up on Friday by the Town of Oneida will have it picked up Thursday (July 3) next week, due to the 4th of July holiday.
Oneida Mayor Lori Phillips-Jones said the early pickup is so employees can have the holiday off.
Huntsville Post-Acute & Rehabilitation Center offers short-term or long-term care … on your terms. Learn more. (Sponsored content.)
The Weekend
☀️ Weather: After a dry — though hot — week, rain chances are returning to the forecast. We’ll see a 50% chance of rain tomorrow, with thunderstorms likely through the rest of the weekend. Depending on where repeat thunderstorms set up, some isolated flash flooding issues could develop. Otherwise, we’ll see mostly sunny skies and continued hot temperatures for the weekend. Check out our daily Eye to the Sky updates on our Facebook page — published each morning at 7 a.m. on the dot.
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📅 Community Calendar
• Friday: The Bandy Creek Pool will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. today ($3, or $2 for ages 6-12). Huntsville Pool will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today ($3). The Oneida Splash Pad is also open.
• Saturday: The Scott County Farmers & Crafters Market will be open from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. — rain or shine. The market is located at 600 Scott High Drive, Huntsville.
• Saturday: The Bandy Creek Pool will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. today ($3, or $2 for ages 6-12). Huntsville Pool will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today ($3). The Oneida Splash Pad is also open.
• Sunday: The Bandy Creek Pool will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. today ($3, or $2 for ages 6-12). Huntsville Pool will be open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. today ($3). The Oneida Splash Pad is also open.
• Sunday: Celebrate Recovery, a 12-step program designed to help with addiction, co-dependency and domestic abuse, will be hosted by Fire & Purpose Ministries from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 27192 Scott Highway in Winfield. There will be food, fellowship, praise and worship. Childcare is provided.
• Looking Ahead: Vacation Bible School at Trinity Baptist Church in Helenwood will be July 7 through July 10, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. each evening. Ages 4 through teens are welcome.
The Community Calendar is presented by Citizens Gas Utility District. Citizens Gas operates natural gas distribution pipelines in portions of Scott and Morgan counties. Visit citizensgastn.com.
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📺 Programming Note: A reminder that we will not publish an E-Edition this week. Our E-Edition will be back on a regular schedule next week.
Scenic Sale!
This week’s sale items at Scenic Foods in Huntsville! The sale continues through Tuesday. Sponsored content.
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◼️ Monday morning: The Daybreaker (news & the week ahead)
◼️ Tuesday: Echoes from the Past (stories of our history)
◼️ Wednesday: Threads of Life (obituaries)
◼️ Thursday evening: The Weekender (news & the weekend)
◼️ Friday: Friday Features (beyond the news)
◼️ Sunday: Varsity (a weekly sports recap)