Many might call it the pain at the pump and it may have had an effect on whether area residents stayed close to home for the Fourth of July weekend.

Whether you went to the parade, or the parade came to you, many people across the Valley celebrated at home this past weekend, and gas prices are largely the culprit.

Weston Hollar, a resident of Stanley, says, "I don't want to talk about that, but I will. I travel to Winchester everyday for work and it wipes me out. Gas prices are outrageous. They're terrible."

Hollar and his three step-sons waited along the street for the parade in Stanley. Just down the road, Katie Shenk and her parents from Shenandoah, have the same story.

She says, "You don't get to see your friends a lot because families won't bring their kids to your house just to talk because the gas prices are so big."

Both agree the situation is dire and it's the reason they stayed local, but it wasn't just the northern part of the Valley. People flocked to places such as Gypsy Hill Park and the Frontier Culture Museum to celebrate America's birthday.

Linda Arbogast, a Staunton resident, says, "You really want to be on the watch for how much money you spend in gas, because you also have to think of groceries and all the prices of everything going up."

Rising costs have forced Arbogast to stay put, but it does have its benefits.

Shenk says, "Families can actually come together and actually recognize that it's nice that we have people across the waters that are fighting for us to have our freedom and people die each day that are fighting for us."

Despite rainy weather in some parts of the Valley, most events kicked off without delay.