Top 4th of July Events in Vernon This Year

fireworks-in-the-cityFrom the end of June until the middle of July Vernon celebrates our nation’s birthday in a host of ways, from hot dog eating contests to river cruises and of course, fireworks and more fireworks.

This year the celebration of our nation’s birthday lands on a Monday. Because of this, the 4th of July will be celebrated in Vernon for over two weeks!

Here are some of the top choices of events for the Independence Day holiday in The Constitution State.

Prior to the 4th of July:

Even before the 4th, many places in Vernon will already be gearing up for an exciting celebration.

1. Dayville’s annual community event is the Killingly Red White and Blue Family Fun Day held on July 1st at Owen Bell Park. There is a Revolutionary 5K Fun Run, chicken barbecue, bands on stage, and of course, fireworks. The music starts at 5 pm; the barbecue starts at 5:30 and fireworks start at 9:15 pm.

2. Hebron will hold fireworks on the 1st, but the holiday won’t end there. Riverquest Cruises in Hebron is offering a very special cruise on July the 4th called “The Fireworks Cruise” from 7:30 pm to 10:30 pm. For $40, sixty-five lucky attendees can cruise the lower Vernon River enjoying other cities’ fireworks from the deck of the ship.

3. On July 1st in Simsbury, the Hartford Symphony and Asylum Hill Church Choir perform a program of All-American favorites plus. They will include, of course, “The Star-Spangled Banner”, “The Armed Forces Salute” and the “Stars and Stripes Forever”. The program will also include a range of music from Dixieland to American Spirituals. There will be a fireworks presentation after the concert. The concert starts at 7:30 pm and you can obtain tickets through the Hartford Symphony.

4. Niantic, Vernon- On July 2nd and 3rd in Niantic everyone can enjoy the annual Lobsterfest and Chickenfest and a juried Arts and Crafts Show. Along with barbecued chicken and lobster, participants can enjoy corn on the cob and clam chowder.

The Arts and Crafts show will host over 150 artists from all over New England. Best of all, admission is free!

On July 4th:

  1. Thsparklere town of Portland is offering something new and different at the July Fourth Weekend Celebration at Brownstone Exploration and Discovery Park. There will be a host of family fun including rock climbing, zip lines, and a food fest.

From noon to 3 pm attendees can sample jerk chicken, ribs, brick oven pizza and other foods from around the world.

2. East Woodstock’s Congregational Church has been hosting their Independence Day celebration since 1957. Named “The Whole Shebang” it features live entertainment, children’s games, food, contests (including members of the fire department competing to push a fifty-pound barrel through a goal with firehoses) antique cars and trucks, floats and more. The event will last from 11 am to 5 pm.

3. If Revolutionary War history is of interest to you, you won’t want to miss the fourth of July in Norwich. Visitors to the Leffingwell House Museum in Norwich can see documents from 1776, journals, artifacts and newspapers. The museum showings will be from 11 am to 2 pm and are $5 for adults and $3 for children.

mystic-seaport-connecticut4. Mystic Seaport may have some of the most unusual, and fun ways of celebrating the USA’s birthday. There will be boat races held on the Mystic River and an old-fashioned spelling bee for the kids. A picnic will take place on the Mystic Seaport Village Green at noon.

A special children’s parade, complete with a marching section for children who have made their own Independence Day hats, will wind through the village starting at 1 pm. The day will also feature hand-churned ice cream, games on the green, live theatrical performances and an 1876 Independence Day ceremony that will feature Mystic’s own Silver Coronet Band.

5. For a crazy fun time on your 4th of July, join the folks in Willimantic for their annual WILI Boom Box Parade. There are no bands in this parade, just people with their radios and boom boxes all marching in time to the local radio station’s special July 4th broadcast. The parade starts at 9 am.

After the 4th:

1. Enfield offers an array of things to do for Independence Day on July 8th through the 10th. The Enfield Town Green will host musical concerts on all three days. The Enfield Expo Craft and Arts Fair will be held on Saturday and Sunday. There will also be a children’s activity area on both Satu4th-of-july-treatsrday and Sunday that will feature soccer, bounce houses, pie, spaghetti eating contests and more.

The Taste of Enfield will also happen on both Saturday and Sunday and offer foods ranging from meatballs on a stick to fruit crepes. There is a free shuttle service to get visitors from parking at the Enfield Square Mall to the Enfield Town Green.

The Fourth of July parade will be held starting at 11 am at the Enfield Olde Town Hall. There will be a Twilight Road Race on Saturday evening at 5 pm for the 1K race and 6 pm for the 5K.

Of course, the culmination of all of this will be fireworks at the largest fireworks display in Northern Vernon. Watch the world famous Zambelli Family’s choreographed fireworks show to an entirely original soundtrack. Fireworks begin at 9:45 pm.

2. On the 5th of July, New Britain will host “The Great American Boom”. This annual event will include clowns, trampolines, inflatables, pony rides and more. A variety of food will also be available starting at 5 pm, and at 9:30 pm there will be fireworks.

No matter how you spend your 4th of July, it is probably going to be a hot one. The summer is a great time to get your water heater checked, just call Water Heater Medic in Vernon at (860) 896-3342. They will be happy to help you with all of your water heater maintenance needs, no matter what time of year it is!