On the Fourth of July, all roads lead to Meeksville for the anything goes Independence Day Parade.

“If you can ride it, push it, pull it or carry it, then you can parade with us,” said Earnest Green, president of the sponsoring Meeksville Volunteer Fire Department. “This is a ‘people’ parade. We invite everyone to come out to Meeksville and celebrate our country’s independence together.”

The Meeksville Fourth of July Parade is held annually on July 4 and follows a route from the Meeksville Fire Department to Harmony Park about a mile down the road, Green said.

Lineup will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the fire station and the parade will get underway at 10 a.m.

“You can view the parade from anywhere along the route,” Green said. “You can park your vehicle on the roadside or set up chairs all the way from Meeksville to Harmony Park.”

Ben Andress, an American patriot and the flag bearer at patriotic events around Pike County, will be the Grand Marshal of the 2016 Meeksville Fourth of July Parade.

“We all appreciate Ben’s dedication to country and we want to honor him as our Grand Marshal,” Green said. “We also want to recognize Mona Davis, who was the secretary/treasurer of the Meeksville Fire Department. Mona died last year and she has been missed by all of us.”

The parade will also be dedicated to Thomas J. (Chicken) Harvis, who was that man at the grill at the China Grove Fourth of July Parade for 10 years or more before it was moved to Meeksville.

“Chicken is known all around for his cooking,” Green said. “He’s been a big part of our Fourth of July parades and we want to recognize and thank him.”
The Meeksville Fire Department will have the grills going at Harmony Park and will have barbecue plates for sale and slabs of ribs.

The plates will be $8 and the slabs of ribs will be $20.

“We’ll have tables set up so you can bring a picnic if you want to do that,” Green said. “We invite everyone to come to the Meeksville Fourth of July Parade on Monday and to stay after the parade for food, entertainment and fellowship.”

From Troy, travel north on Highway 231 and take a right on County Road 7714. Harmony Park is about 3 miles on the right and Meeksville is about five miles. Another route is to take the first right after Deer Run RV Park. The road will dead end at the Meeksville Fire Station.