July 4th event organizers deserve kudos.
The last few weeks in Hillsborough have been very hectic, with many things happening.
From the announcement of the final design plans for the Route 206 Bypass, to Hillsborough High School’s graduation exercises, to the Sustainable Hillsborough project and the Planning Board’s approval of redevelopment plans for the GSA and Sunnymead landfill sites, there’s hardly been a quiet moment for news reporters to catch their breaths.
Even the one opportunity for sitting back and enjoying the community Saturday’s Independence Day celebration at Auten Road Intermediate School is worth comment and reporting.
The township’s program for the celebration has been steadily growing and improving. Each year’s event seems to take the best of previous years’ activities and performers, tweak them, and make the show bigger and better.
We particularly enjoyed the addition of the Street Dreams Car Club vehicles, the added hours for kids to enjoy the bouncing amusements, and the variety of performances on stage.
Here’s a "tweak" for next year’s show we’d like to make place some stage mikes for the Raritan Valley Symphonic Band (we’re obviously hoping they’ll come back). The performance was hard to hear for many in the crowd, although what could be heard sounded terrific.
The highlight of the night the fireworks was a wonderful treat enjoyed by the crowd.
We’re usually surprised by the size of the crowd that attends the event it seems more Hillsborough residents should be joining the festivities, but certainly a large and growing number do.
We’re also delighted by how well everyone gets in and gets out, how well everyone gets along and how much fun it is to enjoy a large crowd, feeling safe while mingling with thousands of families.
The township’s Cultural and Arts Commission and Parks and Recreation Department have been working hard on this annual event.
It’s great they do so, and it’s great they’ve done such an exemplary job of organizing such a multi-faceted program.

