The Jones County/Gray Chamber of Commerce held its fourth annual Independence Day Extravaganza at the Morris Bank Recreation Complex on June 30, celebrating the country’s independence with the entire community.
Heather Johnson, the executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, said she was excited for the event. She said she was glad to see so many families enjoying themselves throughout the evening.
“Coming together as a community and celebrating in Jones County really brought people together,” she said. “Everyone was having a great time. I think people were happy to celebrate our independence in such a positive way.”
She said they had sponsors at the event for people to talk to, food trucks, bounce houses, water slides, music, fireworks, and more at the Independence Day Extravaganza. She said everyone seemed to be having a blast.
Greg Mullis, chief operating officer with Tri-CoGo, said it was fun seeing people they know stop by their booth at the event. He said it was a fun night for the community to engage in. He said Tri-CoGo is fast, affordable and local, so he feels people should give them a try.
“Tri-Co Go has been in business for a little over a year now, and we have been busy building fiber optic network to Jones County. We were out spreading the word at the Independence Day Extravaganza in case people hadn’t heard of us. We have brought internet to just under 2,000 customers in Jones County now,” Mullis said.
He said Tri-Co Go sponsored the bouncy houses and children’s area at the Independence Day Extravaganza. He said he wanted to support the Chamber of Commerce and give the community something to enjoy for the evening.
“The event was awesome. I don’t know how many people were there, but it was a lot,” the chief operating officer said. “This kind of stuff is great for our community, and we were excited to be a part of it. It was great to see the fireworks and celebrate.”
Amber Ayers, RE/MAX agent, said she sponsored the musical entertainment for the night with RE/MAX. She said she wanted to help with that, because it was a great community event. She said it’s an event that brought everyone together and she wanted to contribute something to help it take place.
“People were having so much fun. This looked like the best turnout we ever had. My kids loved the helicopter tour. It was a pretty cool thing for the kids to see, and I think it was a great addition to the evening. I think the Independence Day Extravaganza brings something positive to the community,” Ayers said.
Johnson said the event is getting bigger each year, and she’s already getting ready for next year’s Independence Day Extravaganza. She said people should have come to the event to get together and have some fun.
“I enjoyed everything. Seeing the kid’s faces when the helicopter came flying in was pretty great,” the executive director said. “I enjoyed watching them get so excited over that. I think the community looks forward to this event every year, and we’re glad so many people showed up.”
