Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Cherryville, NC (WNN) - Despite the temperatures hitting 100℉+, the 250th Independence Day Celebration attendees turned out in droves to the Festival held on Cherryville’s Main Street on July 2, 2026.
This time around, the City of Cherryville pulled out the stops with their headliner for the night being Molly Hatchet. The band, formed in 1971, has an extensive discography, including songs like Flirtin’ with Disaster, and Beatin’ the Odds. Perhaps more interestingly, the band, in its 55 years of existence, has fully replaced all of its original members, with 25 total musicians who have played with the band at some point. Only 5 of these are currently with the band. Despite this, the impromptu seating stretched from the stage in front of S Jacobs Street to Home Folks Cafe.
The opening band may not have attracted quite as many people, but was able to start building the crowd to near the attendance of other Cherryville festivals on its own. This was the Shane Willis Band. Led by Shane Willis, the group features a country style with its members all having decades of experience as musicians. The band features not just musicians but also its own dedicated sound engineer and SFX/ Lighting specialist. This led to a performance in Cherryville with sound quality rivaling the main act.
It was announced from the stage that 25,000 people attended, but this is an unofficial number. The lines for food told a similar story of how many people were in attendance. Each vendor had lines with wait times of upwards of 20 minutes throughout most of the day. With the heat, frozen treats were especially popular to help the crowd stay cool in the sun. However, all manner of foods could be found in the vendor area. WNN also hosted its own tent, with lines almost as long as those for the food trucks. We gave away plenty of WNN merch, such as pens, koozies, and shirts; however, these were not the most sought-after items. Mister Sparky provided 700 fans, and each and every one was given away, with many people asking if they could swap out other objects to help stay cool. The event also sported the usual inflatables and carnival games to keep the children engaged while they waited for the fireworks.
EMT E. Hibberd, who could be seen throughout the day helping those in need - Cherryville, NC Independence Day Celebration - July 2, 2026
Mason Beam (WNN)
With the heat, it was necessary to have several EMT's on site, and it proved to be needed. Throughout, people were getting overheated, and several required assistance. This came in the form of an EMT riding a bike to ensure a speedy delivery to the much-needed service.
There are still more events to come, not only in Cherryville but also in Gaston County. Starting at 9:30 AM on Main Street in Cherryville, NC, a golf cart parade will lead to an event at 10:00 AM. At 10:00 AM, you’ll be able to attend a ceremony at the Gazebo Mini Park featuring many local patriotic groups and the Cherryville New Year's Shooters. Later that day, the Gaston County Museum will host a celebration across from them from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM. This will lead directly into the Gaston County Independence Day Parade, which you can also attend from Dallas Court Square.
The display featured about $10,000 worth of fireworks, with detonations occurring between 300 and 400 feet. We caught them to show you; you can see them here.
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