News

County is set for sensational celebration of America 250

Blake Anthony Ellege & Band headlines the America 250 celebration downtown on the Fourth of July.

By Bill Moss, Published: May 9, 2026

Hendersonville’s smalltown Main Street will come alive with a red, white and blue celebration of America’s 250th birthday on the Fourth of July, including a parade, reading of the Declaration of Independence, music headliner Blake Ellege and a spectacular fireworks show.

As always, the Downtown Merchants and Business Association is organizing the Fourth of July parade, which will be far bigger than usual.

“Traditionally we’ve done a shorter route but this year, because it is the 250th birthday of our country, we’re going to use our longer parade route,” Hendersonville City Manager John Connet told Henderson County elected leaders during a meeting of the Local Government Committee for Cooperative Action last month.

Marching bands, floats and other parade entries will stage at Hendersonville High School and move south, covering the same route as the King Apple Parade, which closes the N.C. Apple Festival.

“We are looking at possibly doing some special flags and things throughout downtown, and then about 4 o’clock in the afternoon we’ll turn it over to the county,” Connet said. “It’s truly a cooperative effort between the city and county, with the county taking the lead. We’re in support of everything.”

Mike Morgan, the county’s communications director, told the local government leaders a $10,000 grant from America 250 NC is supporting the daylong celebration on Saturday, July 4.

“We have the big stage we set out at the Historic Courthouse here and everything for us will get going at 5 o’clock,” he said.

Junior Appalachian Musicians — the JAM Kids — will open the entertainment.

“Then at 5:30 we’re planning on having a ceremony — looking at the past, the present, the future of our country,” Morgan said.

The Lonesome Road Band will play at 6, followed by the Blake Ellege performance.

A Transylvania County native and 2014 graduate of Brevard College, Ellege began touring nationally at age 4 in Chosen, the family’s Southern gospel trio. A bio on his website describes an early performance.

“When he was 2 years old, during a church service one Sunday, he looked at his mother and said ‘Mommy, I want to sing.’ She stood him up on the piano bench, and to her amazement, he sang all three verses and choruses of a hymn. It was then that she knew that he was destined for greatness.”

He placed first in the youth division of the North Carolina Gospel Singing Championship for five years running until he aged out at 11.

At Brevard College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in music with an emphasis in Classical Vocal Music Performance, Ellege won numerous awards including Most Outstanding Music Performer and the Asheville Lyric Opera Guild Scholarship. In 2013 he received a nomination from the Kennedy Center for Best Sound Design in a Collegiate Theater Production.

Ellege was named Outlaw Country Artist of the Year in 2022 at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville as part of the Josie Music Awards and in April 2024 starred in the “Country Gold” show at the Flat Rock Playhouse.

America 250 ceremonies and performances are on the main stage at the Historic Courthouse except for the performance of It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere on the Welcome Center stage.

Here’s the lineup:

• 10 a.m. Pledge of Allegiance
• 10:30 a.m.  Fourth of July Parade
• 11:30 a.m. Reading of the Declaration of Independence; Ice Cream Social (while supplies last), Heritage Museum
• 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Heritage Museum events
• 5 p.m. JAM Kids band (bluegrass and old-time)
• 5:30 p.m. America 250 Ceremony
• 6:15 p.m. Lonesome Road Band
• 7 p.m. It's 5 O'clock Somewhere, Welcome Center stage
• 7:30 p.m. Blake Anthony Ellege & Band
• 9:30 p.m. Fireworks

Parade entries are asked to use the theme America 250. Applications and fees ($25) are due by June 20 or until all 112 spaces are full. To apply visit https://nchmba.com/assets/application/applicationJuly4th.pdf.