Round Top’s 176th Annual 4th of July Celebration was Its Biggest Yet

The town of Round Top celebrates what is the longest running 4th of July celebration West of the Mississippi. This year marked the 176th annual July 4th celebration there, and this one drew the biggest crowd yet, according to several local observers. Attendees, several thousand of them, lined the streets for the parade Saturday morning. Some people parked well beyond the limits of the town and hiked in to enjoy the festivities, which began on the courthouse square with an opening ceremony. Then the Civil War-era cannon fired, marking the beginning of the parade, which had more than 130 entries. This was the first time parade organizers capped float registrations because of safety concerns due to the large turnout.