By By KEVIN SCOTT CUTLER
Lifestyles & Features Editor
What has been touted as one of the longest-running July Fourth celebrations in the eastern United States will kick off in Belhaven on Friday.
Hosted by the town’s celebration committee, Belhaven’s birthday bash for America will feature live music, arts and crafts, beauty contests, a mud run, street dances and carnival rides.
Art, craft and concession booths in the festival area adjacent to Main Street will be open from 2 to 11 p.m. Friday and all day Saturday. Also on Friday, the Lucky Duck Regatta will be held at 5:30 p.m. along Wynne’s Gut, followed by the 40th anniversary Twilight Hour and Art Show hosted by the Effie-Raye Arts Society.
The show will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Beaufort County Community College room of the Wilkinson Center.
A new Miss Independence will be crowned Friday evening. Seven young ladies will vie for the 2009 title during a pageant that begins at 7 p.m. at the Wilkinson Center. Friday’s festivities will culminate with a traditional street dance featuring music by the Switch Band from 7 to 11 p.m.
On Saturday, the birthday party resumes bright and early with the Little Miss Independence contest, set for 8:30 a.m. on the front lawn of the Wilkinson Center. A dignitary breakfast is planned for 10 a.m. at the Boyette Civic Center, and at 10:55 a.m. a fly-over is planned.
A highlight of the celebration is the July Fourth parade, which begins at 11 a.m. on Main Street. Afterward, beginning at noon, gospel music by Living Water will be presented on the Wilkinson Center grand stage and a lawn-mower pull will be held behind the center.
The Mac &Tammy McRoy Band takes to the grand stage at 2 p.m., and the Down East Trio will follow at 4 p.m. That evening, from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m., deejay Butch Oliver will spin tunes for another street dance. Fireworks are planned for 9 p.m. on the Belhaven waterfront.
In addition to the events in downtown Belhaven, the schedule includes other activities in the area.
The Pantego Academy Historical Museum will host an open house from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. A fundraising mud-run benefiting the Pantego Fire Department will be held beginning at 1:30 p.m. Saturday on Highway 264 west of Belhaven.
The Living Flag, a presentation hosted by Wilkinson Church of Christ, continues Thursday and Friday evenings beginning at 8 p.m. A matinee of the performance is planned for 3 p.m. Sunday.
Belhaven’s July Fourth celebration also features judging of patriotic decorations at homes and businesses, according to organizers.