“Who knew it would be hot on the Fourth of July?” joked Cherokee state baseball champion Bryce Hanley, who later rode with the rest of the baseball team on the lead float.

Aside from the heat, though, the weather was perfect and the enthusiasm for the holiday was evident.

“A Fourth of July parade draws attention to what our country stands for, honors our veterans and gives our community a chance to come together,” Greenback Mayor DeWayne Burchfield said as more than a hundred parade floats lined up behind him at Greenback School waiting for the parade to begin. It was a pretty impressive turnout for a town of just more than a thousand people.
 

Wendy Tittsworth, city of Greenback event coordinator, started working to bring this event together more than two months ago. This year was more challenging that most, because it grew to be the largest parade the city has hosted in 20-plus years.
 

This year’s parade also was more than just a parade. It was somewhat of a rebirth.
 

“The town has been so stagnant for so many years,” Tittsworth explained. “Events like this are getting people involved again. They are an integral part of our community and when they feel a sense of ownership, they also feel pride.”
 

So instead of just a parade, this year’s Fourth of July event grew into a full-fledged festival, including a return of the nearly forgotten Greenback tradition of square dancing downtown, plus the addition of line dancing, a hot dog dinner, dunking booth, a wet splash area for the kids, a crafts area and a horse-drawn carriage ride. Fireworks were planned after dark. All of this was possible because the townspeople donated their time and money to make it happen, organizers said.
 

Organizing such an event had its challenges, though.
 

For example, just finding a place to get people together to meet and plan for the event was a major obstacle, Tittsworth said.

“We’re such a tiny little town,” she said. “But so many people stepped up to pitch in with donations and time.”
 

Nine-year-old Liza Silver put into sharp focus the reason a Fourth of July festival is so important to Greenback.
 

“It brings us together as one town,” she said while sitting on a four-wheeler with her dad, Bob Silver, waiting to start the parade. “If we didn’t do things like this, we wouldn’t get to know each other.”
 

Chad Bowling, a Greenback resident, echoed the young girl’s sentiment.
 

“We were invited to attend the Farragut parade by some friends,” he said, “but we really want to support our local community. A parade is a great way to come together.”
 

For some, the parade is about something deeply personal.
 

“Tom Dean is a family friend who used to drive (in the parade) with my papaw every year,” Emma Hopson, 16, said, leaning against a cherry red 1969 Corvette Stingray.
 

After her papaw passed away last year, Tom agreed to carry on the tradition of driving in the parade, and Emma jumped at the chance to ride along with him.