Texas Border Business
The City of McAllen is preparing for this year’s McAllen Independence Day Celebration presented by H-E-B. The annual Independence Day Celebration will take place on Saturday, July 3, 2021, with an early morning patriotic program, immediately followed by the Main Street Parade and then the Freedom Festival, a family-friendly festival held at Archer Park. Music, food, and games will be some of the highlights of the event.
“H-E-B is proud to be the presenting sponsor of this year’s Annual Independence Day Celebration,” said Linda Tovar, H-E-B Senior Manager of Public Affairs. “We are honored to celebrate this Fourth of July with the City of McAllen, and to pay tribute to the many men and women of our military. We continue to enjoy our freedom and liberties because of the great sacrifices our veterans in this community and throughout Texas who make our 4th of July so special.”
The City of McAllen Parks and Recreation Department is currently accepting entries for this year’s festivities. Businesses, civic and youth groups, nonprofit organizations, and especially, veterans and veterans’ groups are invited to participate in the parade and other festivities.
All entries should feature a patriotic theme. Entries should fit into one of the following categories: antique vehicles; marching/walking; color guard; vehicle club; float; horses; band; or pageant. For more guidelines and information, please see entry application.
Entries for businesses are $50 and non-profits can enter at no cost as long as a 501 C(3) is provided.
Entry forms for the parade are available by request by emailing pardmarketing@mcallen.net, call the office at 956-681-3333, or at the McAllen Parks & Recreation Office, 1000 S. Ware Rd. The deadline for parade entries is Monday, June 21, 2021. There will be a parade entry meeting with all participants the week before the event.
There will also be an Independence Day 4K Run starting at 7:00 a.m. on July 3. The City of McAllen Parks & Recreation Department has partnered with Team Red White and Blue, a national veterans’ organization whose mission it is to enrich the lives of America’s veterans by connecting them to their community through physical and social activity. The race, which is just under 2.5 miles, is open to anyone 7 years old and up. The event will be held at McAllen Municipal Park, 1921 N. Bicentennial Boulevard, with the race starting and ending at the park.
The registration fee is $20 and the first 300 runners will receive a runner’s shirt and a finisher medal. All proceeds from the race will benefit the local chapter of Team RWB.
To learn more or to register for the race, visit www.mcallenparks.net call the City of McAllen Parks Department at 681-3333.
Other activities scheduled for the day include the Patriotic Program, which will begin at 8:00 a.m. from Archer Park, located at 101 M. Main St.. Immediately following is the Main Street Parade which will run along Main Street from Houston Avenue to Beech Avenue. Attendees can then enjoy the festivities at Freedom Festival at Archer Park from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. that will feature classic family fun, music, food, and games. Later, head to Municipal Park, located at 1921 N. Bicentennial Blvd., starting at 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., where attendees can enjoy food, live music and entertainment. Starting at 9:00 p.m., the Concert in the Sky fireworks extravaganza will go live from Municipal Park; listen to the fireworks set to patriotic music by tuning in to 710-AM KURV. Watch the fireworks live on MCN 1300 on Spectrum Cable for McAllen residents, or at www.mcallen.net, the McAllen mobile 3-1-1 app or over the air antenna channel 57.1 KAZH-LP.
The McAllen Independence Day Celebration is presented by H-E-B. Other sponsors include Lack’s; Driscoll Health Plan; Driscoll Health System; Reliant; Stripes Laredo Taco Company; and Clark Chevrolet.
