Rogersville community celebrations hope to continue with new organizers

Organizers of the Rogersville July 4th celebration and community Thanksgiving dinner announced that the non-profit organization they created to oversee the events has decided it is time to pass the torch. Since 1991, Dr. Blaire Jones has organized the annual 4th of July celebration in the town, taking it over from another local group and starting the non profit Four Square Inc. in 2010 with current Hawkins County Mayor Mark Dewitte to present the events. The events not only take time to plan and execute, but some manual labor as well, and Jones sited age and some medical issues were making it difficult to continue. Both men said the hope that some individual or organization can take over the planning and running of the two popular events.