COUNTY — Independence Day is nearly here in Pickens County, but with the ever-present threat of COVID-19, community celebrations for the event will look very different this year.

Events will begin this Friday, July 3, with a celebration hosted by the town of Six Mile at Ponderosa Park. Unlike years past, there will be no food or entertainment, and it will be strictly a fireworks-only event. The park will be opened to the public at 7:30 p.m. after a sanitation period earlier in the day to allow the public ample time to get there before the show begins at around 9:15 p.m.

Attendees will be allowed to either watch the fireworks from their vehicles or from inside the park, where social distancing guidelines are encouraged.

Easley, Liberty and Pickens will all host events on Saturday.

The city of Liberty will host its annual Love my Liberty Fourth of July celebration from 6-10 p.m. at the Liberty Athletic Complex. The event features the Emma KAPPS bike parade, free hot dogs and water, as well as activities for children, live music from Concealed Damage and a corn hole tournament. Barbecue and other food will be available for purchase, with vendors including McKenna Creek BBQ, T&D Concessions, Rocky Top Pops Kennel Corn and the Liberty High School Booster Club. Fireworks will be shot off at nightfall. Social distancing is being encouraged for all spectators.

“A limited number of face masks will be available for free, upon request, until supply is depleted,” event organizers said of planned safety precautions on libertyscevents.com. “For any interactive game or activity that requires elements to be touched, gloves will be provided to the participants. In addition, there will be hand sanitizing stations in multiple locations at the event.”
In Easley, the city will be hosting its own fireworks extravaganza from downtown at dark. No rides, games or food trucks will be provided by the city, and residents are encouraged to utilize downtown businesses. The fireworks show is expected to begin at dark and can be seen within a one-mile radius of downtown.

In Pickens, the city is providing live music from the Hired Help from 7-9 p.m at the Pickens amphitheater, with a fireworks show to follow. The fireworks show is expected to begin shortly after 9:30 p.m., with social distancing encouraged for spectators.

The biggest change to this year’s festivities across the county was the cancellation of ClemsonFest. One of the county’s staple events over the past 26 years, the event had been planned to be held on College Avenue on July 3 before a recent surge in COVID-19 cases in the area shuttered the event.
“With new coronavirus cases escalating in the Upstate, including new cases in the Clemson area, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 ClemsonFest event,” the city said in a press release. “However, should conditions improve and stabilize, we hope to hold a community event, incorporating some of the same planned activities in the near future.”