The annual Fourth of July parade, organized by the Military Affairs Committee of the Griffin-Spalding Chamber of Commerce, will take place on July 4 at 10 a.m. The parade will start at the intersection of Taylor Street and 16th Street, travel along Taylor Street and end at the intersection of Taylor Street and Fifth Street.

This year’s parade grand marshal is recently retired 1st Sgt. Richard Todd.

Those who would like to participate in the parade — by riding on a float or being in a walking group — should register with the Griffin-Spalding Chamber of Commerce by July 3. While there is no registration fee, all entries must be decorated in a patriotic style, said Daniel Ham of the Military Affairs Committee.

All motorized units will line up for the parade at Southern Crescent Technical College. All marching units will assemble near Chick-fil-A on 16th Street.

“We encourage everybody to come out and show their patriotism. I encourage everybody to come out and celebrate America’s freedom,” said Ham. “It should be a lot of fun.”

Later that day, at the Griffin-Spalding Airport on South Hill Street, the 2012 Independence Day Celebration starts at 5 p.m. with the national anthem and the presentation of colors.

According to a press release from the city of Griffin, the free celebration will also feature performances by Griffin’s own Jeff Stanley, who will be fiddling with the award-winning Watkins Family Band, and Heather Luttrell, who will play a combination of blues, Americana and acoustic music.

The evening concludes with the traditional Independence Day fireworks, which will be held at the Griffin-Spalding Airport for the first time. In previous years, the fireworks display was held at City Park.

“With the new turf grass just established at the City Park Golf Course, the move makes sense,” said city of Griffin Deputy Director of Public Works Chris Walker in the release. “City Park will still be open for golf and family events on the Fourth, but the fireworks will not be visible from the park.”

With the launch location for the fireworks being changed, the best areas to see the fireworks will be the Griffin-Spalding Airport, Airport Road Park or any of the large parking areas surrounding the airport and fairgrounds.

“The airport is an ideal location (for the fireworks),” said Griffin Fire Marshal Mitch Cardell in the release. “We need a large buffer on all sides for safety. The area behind the fairgrounds is safe, with easy access. The fireworks will be launched over the crowd at the free concert, so it will be a great location for viewing.”