A number of special events are planned in Andalusia for the Independence Day holiday as America celebrates the country's 250th anniversary.

The Andalusia Area Chamber of Commerce's 2026 JulyJamz series begins on Thursday, July 2, with a patriotic theme. Headlining "America Night" will be Shane Owens. Opening for Owens will be Jared Harden and Preston Hoffman.

Gates to Springdale, located on East Three Notch Street, open at 5:30 p.m., with music starting at 6. The event will close with fireworks.

On Friday at 6 p.m., the third annual "Andalusia Reads the Declaration" will be held in the Andalusia City Hall. Dr. Steve Hubbard organizes the event, based on a similar one hosted by NPR, in which local residents read the Declaration of Independence aloud.

The reading will immediately be followed by a patriotic musical, "I Love America." Organized by Sue Bass Wilson for the DAR, the musical, first performed in Andalusia in 1976 for the Bicentennial, will be performed by a community choir.

The DAR also will provide refreshments at Friday night's events.

On Saturday, the DAR's Fourth of July parade will roll as always, but with a special focus this year. The local chapter event was chosen as the official Independence Day event for the Alabama Daughters of the Revolution, and a number of special guests are expected. 

The parade will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 4, with lineup in the First Baptist Church parking lot beginning at 9 a.m. Registration is not necessary, but anyone with questions can direct them to Carol-Ann Mullins at (912) 312–6628.

Following the parade, the Covington Veterans Foundation (CVF) will stage a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence on the steps of Andalusia City Hall. The Foundation's float will be the final entry in the parade, and several historic characters will disembark for the reading.

CVF has engaged youngsters in period attire to distribute copies of the Declaration to the crowd that gathers for this event, and Foundation members will have souvenir challenge coins to share with the community.

That evening, the City of Andalusia will host its annual gathering on the Kiwanis Fairgrounds, which will open at 5:30 p.m. Free watermelon slices will be available, and there will be water slides set up for children.

The popular area band 55 South will entertain, beginning at 6 p.m., and a bigger-than-ever, professional fireworks show is set for dusk.

Another special event being held in Andalusia that weekend is the reunion of students who attended Covington County Training School, Bethune Junior High School, Ralph Bunche, and Woodson High School. The weekend-long event, which is held every other year, is centered at the Kiwanis Community Center. For additional information, contact Dorothy Johnson at (334) 892-6732.