Dunwoody’s Fourth of July parade will step off as usual, rain or shine, organizers announced July 3.

“We will not cancel the night before!” parade co-chairwoman Pam Tallmadge said in an email July 3.

If there is a thunderstorm or signs of lightning at parade time, Dunwoody police will determine whether to delay the start past the scheduled 9 a.m. beginning, Tallmadge said in her email.

“Safety is our priority,” her email said.

The parade, the largest in the metro Atlanta area, starts around Jett Ferry Road in Dunwoody and marches on Mount Vernon Road  to the Dunwoody Village shopping center.

Joe Earle is Editor-at-Large. He has more than 30-years of experience with daily newspapers, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and was Managing Editor of Reporter Newspapers.