The Museum of Appalachia will celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with an expanded two-day Independence Day Anvil Shoot Celebration on July 3 and 4, 2026. Thanks to a grant from the Tennessee State Museum, this marks the first time in the event’s nearly 30-year history that the celebration will span two full days, featuring Revolutionary War living-history programming, historical interpretation, and traditional Appalachian demonstrations alongside the Museum’s longtime anvil-shoot tradition.
At the center of the celebration is the Museum’s signature anvil shoot, a rare frontier tradition in which an anvil is launched high into the sky using gunpowder. Once used by pioneers to celebrate holidays, elections, military victories, and other major occasions, anvil shooting has become one of the Museum’s most anticipated annual traditions.
Anvil shoots are scheduled for 10 am, 11 am, 12 pm, and 2 pm each day.
The expanded celebration will feature a Revolutionary War encampment, militia drills, and historical presentations from reenactors portraying figures such as John Sevier, Henry Knox, and David Hall. Guests can experience colonial and pioneer life through demonstrations and hands-on activities, including blacksmithing, basket making, broom making, leatherworking, quilting, rug hooking, coopering, wood carving, lye soap making, candle dipping, pioneer cooking, wash tub canning, flintknapping, powder horn demonstrations, storytelling, crosscut sawing, shape note singing, sassafras tea demonstrations, and more.
Additional highlights will include a liberty pole raising, colonial seamstress demonstrations, live music, Southern food, a flag procession, and a national bell ringing ceremony commemorating America’s 250th anniversary.
“Anvil shooting is one of the most unique and historic traditions preserved at the Museum,” said Lindsey Gallaher, President of the Museum of Appalachia. “There’s something incredibly exciting about seeing and hearing an anvil launched into the sky as part of an Independence Day celebration, especially in a setting that brings so much early Tennessee and Appalachian history to life. Expanding the event to two days allows us to offer even more demonstrations, reenactors, and living history experiences for families to enjoy.”
Advance tickets are now available at museumofappalachia.org and are discounted through June 22 as part of the Museum’s Early Bird pricing promotion. The event is free for Museum members.
This project is supported in part by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial.