Belton holds successful 4th of July Celebration

July 10, 2025 

By Clay Whittington

Special to the Journal

The Belton community celebrated another successful 4th of July Celebration despite rainy weather conditions. “We can’t control the weather, but we didn’t let the weather control us,” stated Randy Pittenger, President/CEO of the Belton area Chamber of Commerce.

“All of our events were held on schedule and were well attended, fun, and successful.”

“We are especially proud to provide so many family-friendly activities and entertainment where Belton citizens and visitors can enjoy the events and learn more about our community, added Pittenger.

The Kick-Off Downtown Street Party on June 28 had a record crowd in attendance, with thousands of people enjoying live music and vendors, as well as many special activities for children. A new highlight this year was the Little Miss and Mr. Belton 4th of July contest, with some adorable children given the honor of riding in the parade, among other prizes.

While rain limited attendance at the Carnival in Liberty Park, people didn’t hesitate coming out Friday for the annual Patriotic Program, Parade and Festival on Nolan Creek in Liberty Park. Big crowds came out early and lined the streets to watch the parade. Many commented that they were happy to have much cooler weather than usual for the 4th of July, despite brief rain showers.

Soldiers from the 36th Engineer Brigade deployed a bridge across Nolan Creek to allow thousands of parade spectators to cross over to the Festival on Nolan Creek in Liberty Park to visit food trucks, vendors, games, pony rides, and exotic animals at the petting zoo. In addition to the annual REV, White & Blue Car Show, everyone was able to enjoy the Fort Hood 1st Cavalry Band, performing on the Liberty Park Pavilion stage.

Friday night ended with a capacity crowd at the Backyard Party at Schoepf’s concert by recording star Randall King, with local favorites Wolf Mahler and Jared Johnson providing the opening entertainment. The biggest cheers of the night were for the spectacular fireworks show lighting up the Belton sky for over 30 minutes.

“We are so very thankful for Ronnie and Staci Schoepf providing their venue for this wonderful annual event, where our entire community can gather in the surrounding neighborhoods to see an awesome fireworks show,” added Pittenger. “We are also thankful for our sponsors: Gunter Financial Services, Don Ringler Automotive, John R. Holmes Financial Advisor and Tito’s Handmade Vodka, who help make it possible for us to provide this to our community.”

The three-day Belton 4th of July Rodeo was also well attended at the air-conditioned Cadence Bank Center, with those in attendance enjoying impressive performances by the cowboys, cowgirls, Mutton Busters, and livestock. Several dozen children participated in the KPA Engineers Stick Horse Stampede on Family Night Saturday, riding their trusted stick ponies, unicorns, and other assorted creatures on the arena floor.

“We couldn’t do all these events without our army of community volunteers, sponsors, and City of Belton partners working hard for months to plan and coordinate all the details. The weather provided some additional challenges but our teams adapted quickly,” added Pittenger.

“Special thanks to our Chamber staff: Dawn Orange, Katherine Mutchler, and Lexy Sarinana for their dedication and service to our community to make everything work well, and to our Rodeo Director Keith Smith and his committee for another great experience at the 101st Belton 4th of July Rodeo.”

Lead sponsors for the Belton 4th of July Celebration include CGI, Pro Star Rental, KWTX Channel 10, Cefco, H-E-B Helping Here, Keg One O’Neal, Mac Haik Auto Group, Astound Broadband, Vista Real Estate, Cory Herring Homes, and The Carlson Law Firm.

For more information about the Belton Area Chamber of Commerce, visit the website at www.BeltonChamber.com, call 254-939- 3551, or email info@beltonchamber.com.