Faith Fourth of July parade doesn’t disappoint
Published 12:10 am Saturday, July 5, 2025
By Elisabeth Strillacci
FAITH — Once again, the town of Faith did not disappoint Rowan County and the wider community with its annual Fourth of July parade that was the culmination of a week-long festival in the town.
The parade kicked off at 10 a.m. but was prefaced by a fly-over of a military helicopter, then the Granite Quarry-Faith police department started the mile and a half trek down Main Street, followed by a procession of fire trucks, which were also lead by Faith and Granite Quarry.
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Main Street was lined end to end with people ready to not just watch but participate in the yearly spectacle, and parade participants have come to expect engagement.
This year, the day was again sunny and bright and hot, but there was a constant breeze and temperatures had dipped down again after record highs just last week.
The event started in 1946 as an effort to honor veterans, and every veteran organization in the area participated and was honored, all the way up to the parade Grand Marshal Lewis Reid, a Korean War veteran.
Politicians were also present, keeping their names front and center, along with local businesses making sure the community knows who offers what.
The Price of Freedom Museum brought several of their military vehicles, groups intended to bring a laugh, such as the Oasis Hillbillies, or a tear when the bagpipers went by also participated, along with the East Rowan cheerleaders and the Faith Academy marching band.
A huge group from Extreme Jeepers brought their decorated vehicles to celebrate the country’s birthday as well.
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The party didn’t end with the parade, though. The festival, with games, food and rides, carried on through Saturday, and Friday night there was a concert by Divided by Four.
Primary sponsors of the annual event include the Faith American Legion Post #327, Faith American Legion Auxiliary Unit #327 and the Faith Civitan Club.
And it isn’t just Rowan County folks that attend. A woman from Asheboro named Leslie Johnson was there Friday morning with her two boys, Jordan, 3, and Mika, 5.
“We moved to North Carolina last August, so we missed this last year,” she said. “The kids have been counting the days lately, waiting to see all the big trucks.
One emotional element of the parade was a truck paying tribute to the late police officer David Dav-I Earnhardt, who died last year after a battle with cancer. Granite Quarry Police Chief Todd Taylor, who participated in the parade, said it “got to us, too. We still miss him.”
But most of the parade and the festival was a celebration, with red, white and blue the colors of the day, balloons, a few gunshots (with blanks) from Confederate re-enactors, a lot of candy and even popsicles thrown to parade-goers, and then the festival that picked up on the excitement where the parade left off.
