Stars Over Clayton to feature America 250 drone show

CLAYTON, Ga. — A new downtown celebration is set to bring families, food vendors and a drone light show to Clayton City Hall Park on July 1 as organizers look to kick off Independence Day festivities while driving traffic to local businesses.

The Board of the Clayton Merchants and Business Association (CMBA), in partnership with the City of Clayton and several local sponsors, will host “Stars Over Clayton” beginning at 6 p.m. The event is part of a broader effort to mark America’s 250th anniversary while offering a community-focused alternative to traditional holiday fireworks shows in the region.

A different kind of Independence Day celebration

CMBA Secretary Kayla Flaherty said the event was intentionally scheduled for July 1 to avoid competing with popular fireworks displays held over the holiday weekend at nearby lakes.

“We were looking for something unique to do,” Flaherty said. “Being in Rabun County, there are several fireworks shows out at the lakes, and it’s hard to compete with those. We wanted to bring people to downtown Clayton while they’re in town enjoying the lakes, but not compete with the July Fourth weekend events. That’s why we’re holding it on July 1. We want to bring people in to see Clayton, spend money at our local businesses and support our local businesses.”

Flaherty said organizers also wanted to create something distinctive for the nation’s semiquincentennial.

“We’ve been wanting to do something like this for quite some time, but there was no better year than this year with it being America’s 250th anniversary,” she said. “We discussed a lot of different ideas and options, and we felt this was something unique. No one else nearby was doing it, so we thought it would be a special way to celebrate the 250th year.”

Rather than a traditional fireworks show, the event will feature a drone light display beginning at 9:30 p.m.

“With so many fireworks shows close to us, we had to get creative and think about something people would enjoy that was different from a traditional fireworks show,” Flaherty said. “With fireworks displays already taking place around Lake Rabun and Lake Burton, we felt like we needed to do something different.”

Focus on downtown and local businesses

Organizers say the goal of Stars Over Clayton extends beyond entertainment, with a strong emphasis on supporting downtown businesses and encouraging visitors to explore the city center.

“We’re hoping families will enjoy time together, celebrate Independence Day early and experience all that Clayton has to offer,” Flaherty said. “We’ll have food trucks, activities and games in the park, but we also hope people will shop downtown and eat at our local restaurants. City Hall Park is just a short walk from Main Street, so we want people to experience all of Clayton.”

Flaherty said the CMBA and the city worked together with local business owners to develop the event.

“We brought the idea to our business owners because we wanted to bring people to Clayton and show off what our community has to offer,” she said. “When any business is doing well in Clayton, Clayton wins. If someone’s coming downtown to eat at a restaurant, they’re likely also shopping at a boutique, visiting an art gallery or supporting another local business. Bringing people downtown encourages business growth and strengthens the community, and that’s our goal as the CMBA.”

Community partnerships and charitable component

The event will feature support from Habersham EMC, Butler Galleries, Reeves, Claws & Paws, Boles Market and Rostova Westerman Law Group, along with a lineup of food trucks and vendors.

Families can expect live DJ music, community booths and children’s activities, including arts and crafts, flag hand painting, sensory toys and games. The first 200 attendees will receive a free American flag, and children’s yard games and patriotic gift bags will be available while supplies last.

The Rotary Club of Clayton and Rotary Impact Club of Clayton will also participate, with proceeds from hot dog and hamburger plate sales benefiting Alzheimer’s research.

“We always want to involve local nonprofits and give them an opportunity to raise money for a meaningful cause,” Flaherty said.

Part of a growing downtown events calendar

Stars Over Clayton is one of several recurring events organized in downtown Clayton throughout the year, alongside Ramshackle, seasonal block parties, a Halloween event and other community activities.

“We do several community events throughout the year,” Flaherty said. “We have two block parties, Ramshackle in June, now hopefully this annual event in July, a fall block party, a Halloween event, and last year we even did a cookie crawl downtown. The entire calendar is built to keep us top of mind — not only for our locals in Rabun County, but also for visitors from Habersham County, Atlanta, Highlands, Franklin and surrounding areas who will travel here for unique events that support our local businesses.”

Looking ahead

While this year’s event is tied to America’s 250th anniversary, organizers hope Stars Over Clayton will become a lasting tradition.

“It is our hope that this could be an annual event,” Flaherty said.

Above all, Flaherty said the success of the event — and future community programming — depends on continued support for downtown businesses.

“The biggest thing is we want people to come to this event, but before they come, we want them to come to Clayton and support our local businesses,” she said. “Without their support, we can’t continue these types of efforts.”