Fourth of July
The Fourth of July festivities in Branford historically begin at 2 p . m . at the Frank Norris Bridge with a waterfall of yellow rubber duckies overtaking the Suwannee River . Organized by the Branford Rotary Club as one of their biggest fundraisers of the year , spectators and Club supporters can purchase numbered tickets that each correspond to a rubber duck . The ducks are then dumped into the river and float down to the finish line . Like numbers at a Bingo competition , the ducks are called out in the order they arrived and announced on the Winner ’ s Board at Ivey Memorial Park . An assortment of prizes are then awarded to the lucky ducky owners and the rest of the rubber duckies that strayed from the course are collected for a chance to redeem themselves at next year ’ s race .
When the display of yellow ducks concludes , the rest of the events put on by the Branford River Reunion Committee commence with a parade down Main Street . A car show , cornhole tournament and watermelon eating and seed-spitting contest follow the parade alongside dozens of vendor booths . The booths , which run from 4 p . m . to around 8:30 p . m ., have grown over the last few years from less than 20 participants to a whopping 82 vendors in 2022 , which demonstrates just how much the Fourth of July in Branford has grown .
Of course , the day culminates with a remarkable fireworks display organized by the fire department . “ We get rave reviews about our fireworks and people come from all over to watch them ,” said Stacy Griffith , who ’ s part of the Branford Fourth of July committee .
For more information about Branford ’ s Fourth of July activities , visit the Branford Rotary Club and Branford Florida River Reunion on Facebook .
Community Festival and Annual Chili Cook-Off
In 2022 , the Rotary Club of Branford teamed up with the Interact Club of Branford High School to host the first annual Community Festival and Chili Cook-Off . The event , the proceeds of which went to support student scholarships , the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Sponsorship and literacy projects , focused around the chili contest , which awarded monetary prizes to the top three chili cookers with awards for Best Overall , Best Spicy Flavor and Most Unique .
The festival , which was held in November , also consisted of live music , food , games , a 50 / 50 raffle and a silent auction . With the first cook-off on the books , 2023 ’ s second event is sure to be even more memorable .
2023-2024 | SUWANNEE CHAMBER IMPACT 89