Independence Day celebrations kick off with downtown street party

July 3, 2025

By Harvey Jackson Oss

The Belton Journal

Downtown Belton celebrated their annual Independence Day kickoff Street Party the evening of Saturday, June 28.

The event was hosted by the Belton Area Chamber of Commerce with the aid of numerous sponsors, including Vista Real Estate, Cory Herring Homes, CGI, Extraco Banks, H-EB, KWTX News 10, Scores Pizza & Wings, Summer Fun, West Temple Orthodontics, Edward Jones, First Community Title, ASCO Equipment, Bold Republic Brewing Company, Hole in the Wall, Redbox+ of Central Texas, and Schoepf’s BBQ.

Chamber of Commerce President Randy Pittenger kicked off the event at 5:30 p.m. Music began an hour later when Dallas based Grupo Pression took the stage. Specializing in Tejano music, they played genre favorites such as Baila Esta Cumbia by Selena and La Chona by Los Tucanes de Tijuana.

Pittenger commented on the significance of the party.

“It’s really important for our community to come together, to celebrate, to be together.” The non-ticketed event was intentionally free of profanity and agesensitive content in order to foster a child-friendly environment — “It’s going to be a good opportunity for families.”

In addition to the live music, activities included cornhole, a photo booth, face painting, a children’s entertainer, and tents for businesses such as Extraco. Voter registration was available to attendees. Possibly the largest draw for the few thousand present were the numerous vendors and food trucks. One such business, Scotti’s Italian Ice, was present and in operation by mother, Ann and daughter Mikayla. The veteran-owned establishment, located near The Gin, brings New Jersey style Italian ice with natural ingredients to Belton consumers. Mikayla noted the importance of events like the street party to their venture — “It means more exposure to the Belton community since we’re such a new business. We’re really happy to get our name out there.”

The street party included a new event, the Little Miss & Little Mister Belton 4th of July contest. Two boys and two girls from ages three to seven and eight to ten years were chosen as winners of the contest and awarded with spots in the upcoming parade on Friday.

Closing out the night was a performance by the local Leon River Band. The band showcased their town pride by loudly proclaiming that “Belton is the 4th of July capital of the world.”