Old Glory, New Pride

In
CENTRAL JERSEY:

Staff photo by Phil McAuliffe

Bordentown

   Bordentown Township sponsors an annual Fourth of July fireworks display at Northern Burlington
Community Park in Bordentown Township starting at dusk.



Bridgewater

   The Independence Day Family Festival will be held at North Branch Park, Milltown Road, Bridgewater,
July 4. Activities include historical re-enactments, children’s games, and music by Kenny Vance and the Planotones
and Mission Dance.

   Activities begin at 5 p.m.; fireworks display: 9:30 p.m. For information, call (908) 722-1200,
ext. 221.



Cranbury

   Cranbury soon will be filled with the succulent smells of barbecue and the joyful laughter
of children splashing in pools as the entire community celebrates the country’s independence.

   To add to these festivities, the Cranbury Historical and Preservation Society, along with
the Township Cultural and Heritage Committee, have planned an evening of music in Village Park, followed by
a spectacular fireworks display, courtesy of Cranbury Township.

   The evening is set to begin at 6 p.m. July 5 at the park gazebo.

   The fireworks have become a tradition in town since resuming in 1997 with the Cranbury Tercentennial.

   Families are encouraged to pack a picnic dinner, spread out a blanket and enjoy the sounds
of the Joe Scannella Dixieland Band, which will entertain the crowd from 7 to 9 p.m.

   The Joe Scannella Dixieland Band has had a 20-year career. Mr. Scannella, a public school
music teacher, has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the NBC Open Company and the Philadelphia Brass
Ensemble. He also has worked professionally with Bob Hope, Liberace, Jerry Vail and Louie Prima.

   The pinnacle of the evening will occur at dusk, when the sky above Village Park will explode
with a colorful display of fireworks .

   In the case of rain, the event will be held on Saturday, July 6.



East Windsor

   East Windsor is hosting its annual Independence Day celebration on Wednesday, July 3, at
Etra Lake Park. Jerry Rife’s Orchestra will begin playing at 6 p.m. The Trenton Brass Quintent will play at
8 p.m. before the fireworks get underway at 9:30 p.m.



Florence

   Florence Township is holding its annual Patriotic Celebration on July 13, beginning with
a flag-raising ceremony at 11 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial at Ninth and Broad streets. The annual parade begins
at noon. Concerts will be held at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., featuring local bands. Fireworks begin at dusk, at approximately
9:15 p.m. Rain date is July 14 for concert and fireworks only.

Staff photo by Phil McAuliffe

   The Fountain of Life Center is hosting a patriotic musical/drama, "We Love America Celebration,"
in celebration of Independence Day at 7 p.m., June 29, in the auditorium, 2035 Columbus Road, Florence Township.
The color guard from the military branches will be featured as the highlight of the evening as veterans and
public officials are honored for their contributions to the country. For more information call 499-2131 or
visit the Web site: www.flcnj.org.



Hillsborough

   Hillsborough Township’s annual fireworks display and showcase of performers will be
held Saturday, June 29, at the Auten Road School.

   Sponsored by the Hillsborough’s Cultural & Arts Commission, the event will start
at 7:30 p.m. with its showcase of performers. The showcase includes the Hillsborough Rockettes and Rockets,
Hillsborough Dance Academy, the Starlite Chorale, a presentation of “Tom Sawyer” by the Somerset
Valley Players, T.B.D. Rock Band and Tony DiPaola.

   Residents should bring their own chairs and blankets for the event.

   The fireworks will commence shortly after the performances.

   Parking in the area is limited but residents are encouraged to park at Hillsborough High
School, the Hillsborough Middle School and the Youth Football Complex on Triangle Road. Free shuttle bus service
will be provided to and from the event from those locations, beginning at 6:30 p.m. A limited amount of parking
will be made available for the handicapped at the Auten Road School.

   Township officials remind residents that alcoholic beverages are prohibited on school property
at all times. Rain date for the event is Sunday, June 30.



Jamesburg

   Fireworks at Thompson Park. July 4, scheduled at 5 and fireworks going off at 8 p.m. Vendors
with food and people shold be arriving at around 5 p.m.



Lawrence

   Fireworks afficionados are gearing up for the townships annual Fourth of July fireworks show,
set for Thursday, July 4, in the field next to Centennial Lake at Rider University.

   The festivities begin at 7 p.m., when the first of two bands will provide the entertainment
before the fireworks show, said Steven Groeger, township Recreation Superintendent.

   First Class Act, a five-member bands, plays oldies music from the 1950s and 1960s. The 30-member
Lawrence Community Band plays patriotic and Big Band tunes, Mr. Groeger said.

   Some folks bring blankets, lawn chairs and a picnic dinner, Mr. Groeger said. Other folks
come to the fireworks display from Fourth of July parties elsewhere, he said.

Around 9:30 or so, the first of several thousand fireworks shells will be launched, he said. The fireworks
show, which costs about $7,500, lasts about 15 or 20 minutes. The money for the fireworks is included in the
Recreation Department budget.

   The rain date for the fireworks show is July 5.

Fourth of July fireworks over the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Montgomery

   Montgomery’s program will begin about 6:30 p.m. on Monday, July 1 at Orchard Hill Elementary
School, located near the intersection of Orchard and Burnt Hill roads.

   Local organizations will be selling food and there will be children’s activities including
inflatable rides and a dunk booth. A local band, “The Fat Daddies,” will entertain.

   The fireworks will begin shortly after 8:30 p.m.

   The rain date is Tuesday. For information, call (908) 359-7003.



Pennington

   Pennington will have children races at 10 a.m. A picnic will be held beginning at 5:30 p.m.
at 65 S. Main St. Newt Stewart Quartet will play. Also, a free concert on July 5, 7 p.m. by the Army Brass
Band.



Plumstead

   An Independence Day celebration of fireworks will be observed on Saturday, July 6, at the
New Egypt High School fields. Prior to the fireworks display, our Arts Council will present a concert from
7 to 9 p.m.

   At the recommendation of the Fire Marshal’s Office, the location of our fireworks display
has been moved from the recreation park to the school fields on Evergreen Road for public-safety purposes.
The Township Committee would like to thank the Board of Education for their assistance in providing a safer
location for the fireworks. On Monday, July 8, the Arts Council will also present the 63rd Army Band in concert
at the New Egypt High School football field from 7 to 8:30 p.m.



Princeton

   A celebration of the 226th anniversary of America’s independence will be held Thursday at Princeton Battlefield State Park.

   Revolutionary War re-enactors from groups including Motts Artillery, 6th Company/2nd Continental Artillery will be on hand to demonstrate military drill, cannon fire and flintlock musketry.

   The Thomas Clarke House Museum and the Arms of the Revolution exhibit will be open to the public, and a talk on the Battle of Princeton will be given at 11:30 a.m. Games from the Revolutionary War period will be available for children of all ages.

   The Declaration of Independence also will be read aloud. The public is invited to picnic at the park. The battlefield has open fields for ball games, Frisbee and kite flying. Public hiking trails link up with the adjacent Institute Woods.

   Barbecues and alcohol are not permitted in the park. Admission is free but donations are welcome for the day’s events, which are scheduled from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the park on Mercer Road.

   For more information, call (609) 921-0074.

   Princeton’s fireworks on Tuesday, sponsored by The Spirit of Princeton, will be held
at the Princeton University athletic fields off Washington Road in West Windsor where The Medical Center at
Princeton Fete is held.

   Recorded music will begin about 7 p.m. and the fireworks should begin at 9:10 p.m.

   Only parking for the handicapped will be permitted at the fields. Princeton University lots
off Faculty Road in the area of Jadwin Gymnasium will be open and police and university security officers will
direct traffic to the lots. Spectators will then walk across the Washington Road bridge over Lake Carnegie
to the fields. No refreshments will be available at the fields.

   The rain date is Wednesday.



Trenton

   The capitol city celebrates Independence Day with children’s activities, games, live entertainment
and food vendors music at the Department of Labor and Industry Parking Lot, South Warren and Market streets,
beginning July 4 at 5 p.m. Bring chairs and enjoy the view from either side of the Delaware.

   Rain date: July 7, 5-9:30 p.m. For information, call (609) 989-3628.



West Windsor

   The Mercer County Park fireworks in West Windsor will follow a “Salute to America”
concert by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, set to get underway July 6 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. The concert
will include many 20th century selections including ragtime and jazz-influenced pieces. The orchestra will
also play “Armed Forces Salute,” which incorporates the anthems of each branch of the armed services.

   The traditional performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture will be a prelude to the
beginning of the fireworks display. There is no rain date for the concert.





In PENNSYLVANIA:



Doylestown

   The Fonthill Museum, East Court Street and Route 313, Doylestown, Pa., hosts an "Old-Fashioned
Fourth of July Celebration," including a decorated bike parade, pony rides, a town ball game (that’s 19th-century
baseball, for those who were wondering), a watermelon-eating contest and old-time games. Silver Dollar Productions
will be on hand, singing turn-of-the-century songs for its show, "I Hear America Singing." Admission costs
$3, $2 Bucks County Historical Society Member, $1 children ages 6-17, free for children under age 6. For information,
call (215) 948-9461.



Philadelphia

Philadelphia will celebrate the Fourth with a massive parade down Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

   In terms of sheer spectacle, perhaps nothing in the area can top Philadelphia’s "Welcome
America Festival," a nine-day celebration featuring more than 50 free events. Highlights include the Jazz on
the Avenue Celebration, held on the Avenue of the Arts between Chestnut and Spruce streets, June 28, 7-11 p.m.,
and Opera in the Square, July 2, 6-9 p.m., in Rittenhouse Square, 18th and Walnut streets. Leslie Dunner, musical
director of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Welcome America Orchestra will accompany soloists for
performances of Puccini, Mozart, Verdi and Gershwin works.

   Philadelphia’s July 4 events kick off at 9 a.m. with an Independence Day Ceremony at Independence
Hall, where Secretary of State Colin Powell will be awarded the liberty medal, honoring his role in the worldwide
fight for freedom and liberty. Then, at 6 p.m., the Liberty Bell will be symbolically tapped, marking the start
of a massive parade down Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

   The procession steps off from 20th and Arch streets. Expect a fly over by the U.S. Air Force
and performances from Philadelphia native Lauren Hart and Grammy Award-winning artists the Baha Men.

   Then, from 8:30-11 p.m., attention shifts to the Art Museum steps, with a concert from national
recording artists and a 20-minute fireworks display. For information, call (800) 770-5883. A complete schedule
is available at the Gateway Visitor Center, Sixth and Market streets. On the Web: www.americasbirthday.com

   While you’re in town, consider capping off a visit to the birthplace of liberty with the
Lights of Liberty Show, the long-running nightly sound and light extravaganza around Independence Hall.
Skip a potentially lengthy wait and phone ahead for reservations. Adult tickets cost $17.76, seniors/student
with ID $16, children 12 and under $12. For information, call (877) 462-1776. On the Web: www.lightsofliberty.org




Southampton

   In Bucks County, Southampton Days Country Fair kicks off a week-long celebration July 1 at
Tamanend Park, Southampton, Pa., with amusement rides, games, bingo and an assortment of food tents. In addition
to the usual pay-as-you-ride option, fair planners have also come up with a special rate — $31 per person
for the entire week — for people who just can’t get enough high-speed rotation and stomach-turning merriment.
Rides run from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. through July 6, with a full schedule of nightly music and children’s entertainment.
Parking costs $1, and admission is free every night except July 4, when the fair costs $5 for adults and $1
for children under 12.

   Don’t forget to bring Ol’ Glory to Southampton’s July 4 parade, 9:30-11:30 a.m., forming
at Jaymor Road, proceeding north on Second Street Pike to Klinger Middle School. The fair and rides will be
open July 4, noon-4 p.m., with rides resuming operation again at 6 p.m. Later that night, Klinger Middle School
will host a concert at 7:30 p.m., featuring Sands of Time, culminating in a fireworks display at 9:30 p.m.
For information, call (215) 355-1714.