While there’s a good chance a local band will be playing atop a flatbed truck lent by Kim Carter, the parade’s grand marshal, crowds at the Winslow Family 4th of July Celebration will also have the chance to see renowned country-music star John Michael Montgomery. The musician will play a free show on Thursday, July 3, the night before the parade.

Montgomery, a Kentucky native who has recorded 10 albums and five No. 1 country singles said he is excited to return to Maine.

“I think I may have done a concert in Portland, but it’s been a long time,” Montgomery said from his home state. “The last time I was up there, the food was unbelievable.”

A 20-plus year veteran of the music industry, Montgomery has fans from all over the country, yet some of the places where he has fans always surprises him.

“The fact that I took my little talent from my home town and it’s known worldwide — I get chills,” he said. “When I was a teenager, Maine was just a place where they would never know who I was.”

Following the Winslow appearance, Montgomer will play in Columbia Falls on July 5, and is looking forward to the extra time he can spend in Maine.

“I’m looking forward to getting up there and checking out the local area,” Montgomery said, adding that he plans on bringing his golf clubs for a round or two at a local course. “We’ll be hanging out in the area for a few days to take advantage of the area and get out and meet some of the locals.”

It cost about $20,000 to bring Montgomery to Winslow, according to Winslow Family 4th of July Celebration chairman Kevin Douglass.

— Jesse Scardina, staff writer