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Independence Day falls on a Sunday and celebrated Monday this year, and itâs a sure bet many New Braunfels and Comal County residents will toss in Friday for a four-day holiday weekend.
The area will truly experience a new sense of freedom this July 4th period â exactly one year since the height of COVID-19 and executive orders began mandating protective face coverings in most private and public areas throughout Texas.
Social distancing didnât subdue attendance at county and city parks last year, and all will be open throughout the weekend. City and county offices and businesses will be closed Monday, but many other venues will have amended hours.
Thereâs plenty to do this Fourth of July weekend, as New Braunfels celebrates the virus-delayed 175th anniversary of its founding and Uncle Sam marks his 245th birthday.Â
The 175th Anniversary Founders Day Parade, originally scheduled for March 2020, is planned for Saturday, starting at 9 a.m., in conjunction with the Sophienburg Museumâs Old Time Fourth of July Patriotic Parade and Program.Â
The parade route starts at Garden Street and South Seguin Avenue near the New Braunfels Civic/Convention Center. The route proceeds on South Seguin Avenue toward Main Plaza, takes a left turn at the Main Plaza and proceeds in the opposite direction that traffic usually flows, then traverses to East San Antonio Street and ends at South Liberty Street near Prince Solms Park.
On March 14, 1845, Prince Carl Solms-Braunfels entered into an agreement with Maria Antonia Veramendi Garza and her husband to purchase 1,265 acres for the princely sum of $1,112, which included the present site of New Braunfels.
Four days later, Prince Carl crossed the Guadalupe River at the ford of El Camino Real, which stretched from Nacogdoches to San Antonio.
On March 21, 1845 â Good Friday â emigrant wagons forded the river at the same spot, marking the founding of New Braunfels.
Now, 175 years later â with a one-year pandemic-prompted delay â itâs time to celebrate and commemorate the cityâs cultural heritage, hard work and Gemutlichkeit.
The 175th Anniversary Founders Day Parade, originally scheduled for March 2020, is planned for July 3, starting at 9 a.m., in conjunction with the Sophienburg Museumâs Old Time Fourth of July Patriotic Parade and Program.Â
A popular event is returning.
After a hiatus last year because of COVID-19 precautions, the Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular will make a return to Landa Park in what officials are calling the biggest fireworks display ever seen in New Braunfels.
The annual fireworks display will start at about 9:15 p.m. on July 4.Â
This yearâs professional pyrotechnic display will come thanks to a generous donation from Joy and Rocky Hill in honor of the 175thAnniversary of the founding of New Braunfels. Longtime partner H-E-B is also returning as a sponsor for this yearâs event.
âWe are so excited for the return of the Fireworks Spectacular to Landa Park,â said Stacey Dicke, the cityâs Parks and Recreation director. âAnd this yearâs event will really be something special to behold. Thanks to the Hillâs generous contribution, this yearâs show will feature essentially twice the pyrotechnic firepower from previous fireworks displays. And we may ha