The Valley Fourth celebrations took place Saturday in Downtown Harrisonburg. The events kicked off with the reading of the Declaration of Independence.

Hundreds gathered in Court Square to say the Pledge of Allegiance and then listened to the reading.

Many who attended say it's a good reminder of why we celebrate July 4.

"They need this in each little town. The kids need to see it, and you can see the older people have such strong feelings. And I love it when I see all the World War I and II guys here and all the other vets. It's great," says Harrisonburg resident Barbara Hall.

Saturday night, the celebration continued with food, drinks and concerts. The night will ended with a fireworks finale from Court Square.