By Alison James

alison.james@fct.wpengine.com

The time is approaching for some lucky person to win a truck, 4-wheeler or $17,000.

That’s the most highly anticipated part of the annual Vina Rescue Squad July Fest, according to event coordinator Denise Rogers.

“This is when the crowd comes in,” Rogers said. “It gets crazy.”

But long before the afternoon draw down raffle, there’s plenty of fun to be had at July Fest.

“Just come on down and bring your chair and have a great time,” Rogers said. “We’re just a hometown – everybody likes coming out to Vina.”

A 5K and fun run will start the morning off at 7 a.m., with registration beginning at 7 a.m. A car show, beginning at 10 a.m., will carry the day’s activities into the afternoon. Food and other vendors will also be onsite.

Musical entertainment will begin at noon at feature the following performers:

Noon – Chris Williams

1:15 p.m. – Billy Boyd

2 p.m. – Daryl Aldridge

3:15 p.m. – SRX, Seventies Rock Express

At 5:30 p.m. is when things really get interesting. The 325 tickets sold – for $100 apiece – for the draw down will be plucked out one at a time.

“The last ticket in the box is the winner,” Rogers said. Of course, the owners of the last two tickets have a choice – they can agree to take the cash prize and split it, or they can opt to try to go all the way. Rogers said both options have been taken in past years.

But for the 323 or 324 people who don’t leave July Fest with a new truck or a pocket full of cash, there’s still more fun to be had in the evening. At 7 p.m. Travis Wammack takes the stage.

“He is excellent. He’s a great musician,” Rogers said.

And the day wraps up with a few colorful explosives at 9 p.m.

“We’ll have a humongous fireworks show,” Rogers said. “We do that every year.”

The event will be held at the Vina Fire Department on Highway 19. For more information call the town hall at 256-356-4996.

“We’re just trying to make it bigger and more special,” Rogers said. “It’s been wonderful.”