CLINTON, Tenn. — It's one of East Tennessee's greatest, loudest and most impressive traditions — the Independence Day anvil shoot at the Museum of Appalachia.
Almost every year, the Museum of Appalachia hosts an old-fashioned anvil shoot to celebrate the Fourth of July. During the event, organizers do exactly what people expect them to. They use gunpowder to blast a 200-pound anvil hundreds of feet in the air.
It was once a common way to commemorate holidays, elections and other occasions. To send an anvil into the air, it is first placed in the middle of a field. Gunpowder is then poured on top of it, and a smaller anvil is placed on top of that with a wick. Then, it's lit from a safe distance away and explodes, sending the smaller anvil into the air.
Shoots will occur throughout the Fourth of July at the Museum of Appalachia. They start at 10 a.m. and will launch every hour, on the hour, until 3 p.m. There will be more to do at the museum, too.
They will host a bell-ringing ceremony, a flag procession, live music, as well as demonstrations from blacksmiths, beekeepers, spinners, dulcimer makers, weavers, rail splitters and more. There will also be southern-style food available at the museum.
Anyone who wants to spend the Fourth of July watching anvils soar through the sky will be able to buy tickets online.