By: Kennon Paulk
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| Hundreds of Jones County residents flock to the multiple vendors at the Independence Day Extravaganza event at the Morris Bank Recreational Center in Gray, Georgia. This event has become a staple to the citizens. |
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| The more than 15 foot tall Dairy Queen Blizzard inflatable towers over the event throughout the night. The Dairy Queen location in the city of Gray has topped the list as one of the busiest Dairy Queens in the nation in recent years. |
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| Children play two-hand touch football in the center of one of the recreation fields at the event. The Morris Bank Recreation Complex is a frequent host for events like this one. |
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| Mary Parker (right) hands a child a popsicle. Kona Ice is the biggest mobile food truck rental service in the world according to their website. |
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| The Hometown Ortho & Sports Rehab team operates their tent and offers items to visitors like stress balls and water bottles. Small businesses like Hometown Ortho use events like these to expand their brand throughout the community. |
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| Asia Washington takes a customer's order at the Tropical Paradise Smoothies window. On average, a food truck at events like this one brings in about $2,000 to $5,000 dollars per day according to VendorLoop. |
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| Bert Rosenberger takes charge on the next plan of action at this extravaganza. Rosenberger is the Jones County Parks and Recreation Director who has worked in all forms of parks and rec since 1996. |
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| Chris Pope performs the National Anthem on his electric guitar. Pope works at Music Medix which is a local tutoring location for aspiring musicians. |
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| Justin Kelly (left) stops his crowd control work to stand for the national anthem. Kelly is the owner of the Dairy Queen of Gray and also other businesses within the city. |
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| Residents of Jones County turn towards the flag as the National Anthem rings throughout the complex. "I don't think that many people and cars have ever been on those grounds all at once in the history of Jones County," Justin Kelly said. |
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| Justin Kelly prepares the crowd for the main event of the night, the community tug-of-war tournament. This is the first time this tournament has been held and the community plans to make it a yearly tradition. |
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| Jones County football players and cheerleaders take a tumble after losing their first match in the tournament. The winner of the tournament gets to send $1,000 dollars to a cause of their choosing. |
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| Stephen Elmore rallies his troops to pull harder as he screams encouragement. Elmore is a trainer at one of the local gyms in town, Elite Fitness. |
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| Brad Harrison takes photos of the event from a vantage point. Harrison is a reporter for The Jones County Newspaper. |
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| Travis Douglas (center) fights with his team to win the match. The Jones County Sheriff's Department finished third in the tournament. |
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| Adam Mack (left) pulls his weight to help his team secure a win. Mack played for the Gray Community Church team, one of the local churches in town. |
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| Travis Haines fights his way to victory while the crowd watches. Haines helped take his team, Gray Community Church, to the final. |
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| The Gray Community Church team stands with the tournament bracket and rope in hand. The church is putting the $1,000 dollar prize to their "Whatever It Takes" initiative that among other things includes planting churches in Africa. |
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| To end the night, fireworks lit up the night sky. "When the people and businesses of Jones County put their minds to it, great things always come from it," Justin Kelly said. |
