Even before the 4th, many places in Vernon will already be gearing up for an exciting celebration.
1. Dayville’s annual community event is theKillingly 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 annualLobsterfest 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:
The 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.