ANDREWS, Texas — On the 4th of July, every town is sure to have their own set of traditions.
For Andrews, that's their turtle race that has become the longest standing tradition for the 4th of July celebration hosted by the Andrews Chamber of Commerce.
If people were to ask the executive director of the Andrews Chamber of Commerce Julia Wallace about the city, she would tell them "there is always something to do."
The 54th annual July 4th celebration grabbed the attention of the entire community with food trucks, local vendors and more.
However, the showstoppers were nature's gentle giants.
"I raced turtles when I was growing up and my kids raised their turtles, my granddaughters here this year," Wallace said. "It's just a family tradition and we just look forward to it every single year. Everybody's out looking for those turtles whenever summer hits. You're out in the backyard training your turtles and getting those turtles ready for the race, so it's a lot of fun."
All turtles were welcomed, tiny, big and even bigger.
They raced and raced until a winner was crowned, which turned out to be the reigning champ, Macey Sarabia and her turtle.
"We look forward to the turtle races every year," Sarabia said. "It’s fun for the kids and there’s more stuff to do out here and communicate with other people and have a good time.”
Even though Sarabia's turtle didn't have a name, the runner up was a small shell named Shiny owned by Emily Savell.
"We have had him for three years," Savell said. "This is his third year racing!"
While some prepare for months to race their turtles, others like Savell and Shiny just come out and have fun.
Once the turtle race was complete, there was still so much more for the whole family to enjoy.
"People just really getting to, you know, meet their neighbors and see the people that are in the community," Wallace said. "Renew, rekindle old friendships, make new friendships, it's just a great time, great opportunity to come together as a community and you know, see what Andrews is all about."
Andrews is a place where everyone can kick back and enjoy even the four-legged reptiles.