Past Themes
There a 2 main purposes for designating a Theme for the annual July 4th Celebration held in Montrose each year. First, is to recognize and promote some aspect of Americana that is appropriate for that specific year or to develop a theme that focuses on a general part of our history or some part of our lives as Americans.
Secondly, the Theme should be of such a nature that it enhances the Patriotic Parade by providing a base for the development of floats that can be judged in the Float Contest. Floats are an essential part of the Parade and create some dynamic visual effects for our guests as they enjoy and watch the Parade. To encourage participation, cash prizes are awarded to the top 6 Floats picked by the Judges.
This year we want to focus the Theme on the 2 sponsoring Clubs, the Kiwanis Club and the Lions Club. The basic mission of both Community Service Clubs is to “Build Better Communities by Service to Others”. In addition, it was recommended that both clubs combine their talents and put together a Float that highlights many of the activities, events, sponsorships and programs that each club is actively involved with. One area that we both center our efforts on is the development of leadership and service youth groups in the Blue Ridge, Elk Lake , and Montrose School Districts.
"USA - Living and Working Together in Unity"
2024 July 4th Theme
Annual July 4th Theme History
1978-1999
1978: Living Together, Working Together
1979-1987: No Specific Theme
1989: A Celebration of Our Freedoms
1990: America The Beautiful
1991: A Star Spangled 4th
1992: A Gold Medal 4th (The Winning Spirit)
1993: A Great American 4th
1994: Proud to be an American 4th
1995: God Bless America 4th
1996: Serving America 4th
1997: Old Glory 4th
1998: Thank You America 4th
1999: Through the Years 4th
2011-2023
2011: The Great Outdoors 4th
2012: Our Future Leaders 4th
2013: A Good Neighbor 4th
2014: Land of the Free 4th
2015: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness 4th
2016: The Olympic Spirit 4th
2017: Celebrating Rural America 4th
2018: Preserving Family Values 4th
2019: American Patriots 4th
2020: No Celebration - Covid-19 (Virtual Races Only)
2021: Thanking Our Heroes
2022: Celebrating American Unity
2023: America's Spirit - Serving Our Community 4th
2000-2010
2000: 2000 and Beyond
2001: A Family 4th
2002: Spirit of America 4th
2003: Thanking America's Bravest
2004: America's Heroes
2005: Celebrating Our Kids 4th
2006: Let Freedom Ring
2007: A Country Fair
2008: We The People 4th
2009: The American Dream 4th
2010: Celebrating Our Heritage