Southwest Virginia - Jewel Ridge 4th of July Celebration

Up in the graveyard - overlooking the 4th of July party.


Down in the crowd with the local band in the background.


Fireworks were awesome up on top of the mountain.

The Jewel Ridge 4th of July party was one I will never forget. I thought we'd just be sitting on the side of the road watching the fireworks. I didn't realize this was a full blown party.

Since we had little kids along as well as a couple of Grandmas, we blanketed down in the graveyard up above the celebration area. One of the uncles went down and brought up popcorn, sodas, and an icee.

The kids danced to the music from a local band. I never did catch the name of the band, but they were certainly energetic. They did a range of songs including old rock and roll and some patriotic selections. The lead guy had the crowd roaring when he yelled, "We don't burn no flags around here." He brought one of the girls just back from Iraq up on the stage where everyone cheered like crazy. She got a free t-shirt and CD for her service.

It was around 9:30 or 10 before the fireworks cranked up. They were very impressive up high on the mountain.

It rained a little bit as folks were riding out. Most of the people from the neighborhood had decorated their houses and were out on their porches waving at everyone driving out. Since we were in the back of a pick up, it was like being in a parade. The kids had a blast looking for American flags and yelling "hi" to everyone down the road.

By the time we got back, the little ones were fast asleep. We carried them in and tucked them in bed. Then we called it a night, since we had the family reunion the next morning.

Headed Up to Jewel Ridge for the 4th of July Fireworks

We loaded up the truck to head around the mountain to Jewel Ridge. When I say loaded, I do mean we had a full truck. This was just the first round.



Then we climbed up the mountain through the graveyard to find a spot to sit and watch the fireworks.



Here's part of the family getting settled in for the fireworks. Where the rest of them got to . . . anybody's guess.

Normally I'd be dragging the old Weber grill out in the back yard on the 4th of July, but this year Mom asked me if I'd like to ride up to the mountains for the Lester family reunion. I'm always game for a road trip, so I left frozen pizzas in the freezor for the boys who are pretty lazy on cooking when I'm off and gone.

The reunion was actually on the 5th, but we went in on the 4th. Either everyone was where they were going already or travel was way down. It was easy driving. Very little traffic.

My aunt (who is more like a sister) and my uncle figured we'd all go up on Jewel Ridge to see the fireworks. This is apparently a yearly tradition, but as I mentioned, I'm usually not out visiting on the 4th.

We loaded up in the truck and headed up and around the mountain over to Jewel Ridge. We found a spot to park alongside the road and then walked down the road and then up the hill through the graveyard. That's where we settled down.

The party which I didn't know about was down the hill and not quite at full tilt when we arrived. It got louder and rowdier as the night went on. This is what I'd call a "throw down." When they do the 4th of July up on Jewel Ridge, they really do the 4th of July.

It was a tad calmer up in the graveyard, but there was still some dancing and fireworks going on.