As communities across the country celebrate the Fourth of July today, one small town in our area celebrated in a big way. The village of Melrose hosted several events drawing people from throughout Jackson County and tonight Fox 25/48’s Erin O’Brien explains what makes this community’s celebration stand out from the rest.

In Melrose, people celebrate the Fourth of July like any other place.

“Watch the parade, have a couple brewskis, sodas.”

“Enjoying it with more family that’s going to be showing up.”

But in Melrose, they do it bigger.

The local American Legion Post and other community groups organized a day full of events, including a chicken que, a fun run, and live musical acts. All leading up to the big parade.

“Probably the parade itself is probably one of the bigger parades for a small town that’s left.”

About five hundred people live in Melrose, but on the fourth of July it grows six times its size. Event organizers say about 3,000 people come to watch the parade, not to mention the hundred or so entries in the parade each year.

“I think the community has always just ran a good Fourth of July weekend and they bang it off with a nice firework on the Fourth of July.”

“Parking is easy to find, it’s a busy street but it’s not that busy. Everyone waves and has a good time.”

“I don’t know if it’s so much different than other communities but this town has had celebrations on the Fourth of July dating back to the 1920’s and 30’s and its just kind of carried on from generation to generation.”

Showing that even small towns can have the biggest celebrations

“Lot of the people here were veterans, had friends or relatives who were and I think there’s still a great deal of value in small towns that maybe is disappearing elsewhere. I don’t know, I’ve never lived elsewhere.”

In Melrose, Erin O’Brien, Fox 25/48 News at Nine.