Coordinators of Rincon’s annual July 4 festivities are implementing some new things this year in an effort to make the event bigger and better.

The parade and festival will be held on June 30 in light of the holiday’s middle-of-the-week position this year. Beginning at 10 a.m., the parade will start at Macomber Park on Lexington Avenue and end at Rincon Elementary on Richland Avenue.

Children will be allowed to join the parade at First Baptist Church of Rincon.

“We want the children to decorate their bicycles, tricycles and wagons,” said Susie Davis, one of the parade coordinators.

Floats will be judged and awarded trophies and gift certificates.

The 29th Classic Car Show will be held on Friday night. It will feature a 1950s theme along with a Sock Hop and oldies music provided by radio station 98.3.

Attendees will also be able to enter a drawing on Friday to win tickets to Savannah Theatre’s “Return to the 50s” show.

Entries for the parade are encouraged and accepted until the June 25 deadline. Volunteers are also needed.

“We welcome the help; we welcome the floats,” Davis said.

The festival will be held behind Rincon Elementary after the parade. It will feature a variety of booths, food, contests and local entertainment. However, because of the drought conditions there will not be any fireworks.

The parade committee strongly encourages arts and crafts booths. Items may be purchased only with Freedom Bucks, available in exchange for cash, at the festival.

“We want this to be as big as it can be and as good as it can be,” Davis said.

The July 4 festivities will be joined this year with the Memphis in May competition, which will start on Friday. The event is a very big deal in the world of barbeque, according to Davis.

Teams are coming from a variety of cities to compete in hopes of winning the prize, which is the $1,000 entry fee into the Memphis in May competition held in Memphis.

“This is really a big deal for them to win this,” noted Davis.

On Saturday those attending the festival will be able to purchase barbeque prepared by the teams.

The parade committee aims to use the July 4 festivities not only as a way to provide residents with wholesome fun, but also to market Rincon as a tourist spot.

They are trying to promote the city as a 21st century Mayberry, which some believe the city exemplifies. They also want to show residents that Rincon has recreational opportunities.

“People think they have to leave Rincon to do things and they don’t,” Davis said.

The coordinators have been trying to secure a big-name talent to perform Saturday night at Rincon Elementary in order to help with their tourism goal. They are working on securing country singer Gary Nichols.

The city of Rincon is a proud supporter of the festivities, according to Davis.

“They have taken an active role in it this year, which I think is fantastic,” she said.

She hopes Rincon residents will come out in large numbers to show that they, too, support these kinds of leisure activities. Their numbers will prove that they want more events like this and that they want them more than once a year, according to Davis.

“This is the first step in a grand production Rincon will have year to year.”

For more information contact Susie Davis at 826-3888 or Daniel Alonso at 826-2689.