Cities, towns prepare to celebrate July Fourth

Date: 6/26/2012

June 27, 2012

By Debbie Gardner

debbieg@thereminder.com

GREATER SPRINGFIELD — Beginning this Saturday, individuals residing on the west side of the river will have plenty of opportunities to celebrate the nation's birthday during the next week.

Westfield kicks off the local celebrations with its "Fireworks for Freedom" event on June 30 at Stanley Park. The festivities, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Westfield, which are free and open to the public, are slated to run from 4 to 11 p.m. The rain date for the event is July 1.

Mark Boardman, Rotary president, said the club chose a pre-July Fourth date this year because it gave them a second chance in case of bad weather.

The evening will include face painting for the kids and plenty of music, beginning with a performance by the Westfield High School jazz Band at 6 p.m., followed by Corey and the Knightsmen, who will take the main stage at 7:30 p.m. and "play right up to the fireworks" at dusk, according to Boardman.

Festivities are also slated to include a color guard from the 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Municipal Regional Airport, and possibly a flyover, if there are enough pilots available.

"The majority of the unit is deployed to southwest Asia right now and as [the 104th] is responsible for homeland security for the entire Northeast coast, it will depend on what's happening that day," Boardman said.

The color guard is expected to play the anthem for each branch of service and veterans and active duty personnel in attendance would be asked to stand and be recognized, Boardman added.

There will also be food available for purchase — "hamburgers, hot dogs, grinders, fried dough, cotton candy and candy apples ... fair food," Boardman said.

He also said this year's fireworks would be dedicated to former At-Large City Councilor Patti Andras, who passed away on May 31 after a long battle with cancer.

"She was a fireworks organizer for 14 years and pretty much did the fireworks [for this event]. It was one of her biggest loves," Boardman said.

Westfield also has several festivities open to the public on July Fourth.

At 10 a.m., Hampton Ponds will host its annual Fourth of July Parade. The even kicks off at the Hampton Ponds Plaza, 1029 North Road, Route 202, and finishes at the Hampton Ponds Community Building, 39 Old Stage Road.

At 6 p.m., the Wyben neighborhood will host a second Fourth of July Parade, stepping off at the junction of Montgomery and North roads, and proceeding along Montgomery Road to the intersection with West Road.

"They are real-old fashioned neighborhood parades," State Rep. Donald Humason Jr. said. "The kids are involved and [groups] make their own floats and there's horses and bicycles. It's a lot of fun."

In addition to the morning parade, Humason said Hampton Ponds also hosts a lighted boat parade after dusk on July Fourth.

In West Springfield, the Fourth of July festivities take place on the Town Green on Park Street, beginning with an annual chicken dinner served by the West Springfield UNICO from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets for the dinner should be purchased in advance. Call 896-0506 to reserve a seat.

Entertainment slated for July Fourth on the common includes a performance by Fiesta del Norte Duo at 11:30 a.m., followed by the Pioneer Valley Concert Band, which will entertain as part of the town's 49th Family Concert Series, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Agawam does not have a scheduled Fourth of July celebration, but Melissa Pinkerton, communications manager for Six Flags New England, said the park would be hosting fireworks at 9:30 p.m. that evening. She also said the park offers a special noontime all-you-can-eat picnic in the Grove that day from noon to 1 p.m. A special July Fourth admission of $34.49 includes the picnic and admission to both the amusement and water parks. Pinkerton said the special July Fourth tickets are available online at www.sixflags.com/newengland or on July Fourth prior to noon at the Group Sales window.

According to Mayor Richard Cohen, many Agawam residents can usually see both the Six Flags fireworks and those hosted by the Spirit of Springfield on the Memorial Bridge between the city and West Springfield.

The Springfield fireworks, produced by Fireworks by Grucci, are slated to also begin at 9:30 p.m.

For those who miss the local July Fourth events, there will be one more chance to see fireworks this week. Southwick is scheduled to host its annual display on July 6 at 9:15 p.m. at the Southwick-Tolland Regional Schools Athletic Fields on Powder Mill Road. The rain date for the Southwick fireworks would be July 13.