By AMY JONES / Associate Editor

INDIAN SPRINGS — Indian Springs will celebrate Independence Day with a “really old-fashioned American Fourth of July,” said Mayor Steve Zerkis.

The free event, which has been happening for 22 years, will begin with a parade at 10:30 a.m. on July 4. Anyone who wishes to be in the parade should meet at the Winn Dixie parking lot at the corner of Valleydale Road and Caldwell Mill Road a few minutes before 10:30 a.m.

“At 10:30 precisely, we take off and just meander through town,” Zerkis said. “Anyone who wants to, whether your car is new or antique, bring it on out. Motorcycles, doesn’t matter. Hopefully some people will bring out their antique cars. We’d love to have them.”

The parade will also include a North Shelby Fire District fire truck, which will make full use of its siren, Zerkis said.

After the parade, residents are invited to gather at the Indian Springs Town Hall for a flag ceremony and Iwo Jima re-enactment at 11:30 a.m.

Volunteers will begin serving barbecue around noon, Zerkis said.

“We’ll have music and barbecue and people will sit around for a couple of hours, talk and have a good time,” he said.

The event will not include fireworks, as the Indian Springs Town Hall does not include enough acreage to safely set off fireworks.

After the event is over, any leftover food will be taken to the North Shelby Fire District firefighters.

“We take care of our own,” Zerkis said.

Town officials expect to see several hundred people at the event to celebrate America’s birthday.

“I think we should all respect our Constitution and we should celebrate our Constitution and our country,” Zerkis said. “Hopefully we’ll never stop doing that.”