"Stars, Stripes and Cartersville" began with a 9 a.m. parade downtown that drew hundreds of onlookers. The annual occurrence has been a tradition to many, such as Cartersville resident Anne Peace.
"I probably haven't missed but two or three [since they've been having it]," Peace said. "We started coming -- our daughter's 35, and she was little when we started."
"This is the way you kick it off," said Rhonda Locklear, who watched the parade with Peace and later made her way to Dellinger Park, which offered arts and crafts, children's activities, food vendors and live entertainment throughout the morning and afternoon.
The festivities at Dellinger also drew Steve Rogers and his son, Phillip, who both spent about two hours volunteering to pick up trash as they represented Cub Scout Pack 15, Den 1, based out of Trinity United Methodist Church.
"It's a thing to keep the park healthy," Phillip Rogers, 7, said about the cleaning duties, adding that he was looking forward to his favorite part of the July Fourth holiday -- the night's fireworks show -- as well as eating watermelon and fishing with his father.
The elder Rogers at a quarter to noon said his family had a full schedule left ahead of them.
"We're going to have a cookout," Steve Rogers said. "Every year, we get some family and friends together, about 20, 25 people, and then do some sparklers with the kids and whatnot, and we'll probably try to do some fishing this afternoon in our neighbor's pond. Then after that, we'll just do the fireworks and celebrate our freedom."
While the Bartow community was not short on ways to entertain residents and visitors throughout the day, the meaning behind the festivities was not lost on Cartersville resident Kodi Locklear.
"[It's about] celebrating our liberties and our freedoms," she said, "and all the people who fought and died so we can be watching a parade on the Fourth."