WORCESTER COUNTY—From patriotic concerts and fireworks to pool parties and hot dog-eating contests, Worcester County has a host of ways to celebrate Independence Day.
Here are a few events going on in the area this weekend:
Ocean Pines
• Freedom 5K:
Ocean Pines kicks off its Independence Day celebration Friday, weather pending, with a Freedom 5K open to all ages. The fun run event starts at 8 a.m. in the Veterans Memorial Park on Racetrack Road. Organizers encourage runners to support the military by wearing red, white and blue while they wind their way through the course.
Registration costs $30 at the event and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Home of the Brave, an organization devoted to reducing homelessness among veterans.
• Pool Party:
Ocean Pines will host its family-friendly July4 celebration Friday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Sports Core Pool on Cathell Road.
An entry fee of $5 gets guests an armband good for unlimited play on the moon bounce and water slides. There will be a DJ, face painting, carnival-style games and refreshments. Adults without memberships will be required to pay $7 and children aged 5-17, $5. Add $1 for non-residents.
• Fireworks:
After a day of fun at the pool or beach, take part in a free fireworks show Friday night in Showell Park, weather permitting, across from the Showell Elementary School on Route 589. Free parking will be available at Showell Elementary, Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic School, St. John Neumann Catholic Church, Community Church at Ocean Pines and The Pavilions. Visitors are encouraged to watch the display from these locations.
Snow Hill
• Fireworks and Celebration:
The Snow Hill Area Chamber of Commerce with the town’s Volunteer Fire Company and Snow Hill present its annual Independence Day celebration on Saturday, July 5, in Sturgis Park on River Street. There will be food, fun and activities for the whole family at the free event.
The day kicks off with the eighth annual Canoe Joust on the Pocomoke River. Registration starts at 5:30 a.m. and the joust begins at 11:30 a.m.
Food and beverage vendors will be on hand throughout the day with classic July 4 cuisine and beer. For children, there will be a moon bounce and other activities and Lollipop the Clown will provide entertainment.
At approximately 9:15 p.m., fireworks light up the sky from Byrd Park over the Pocomoke River. Guests should bring their own lawn chairs or blankets to Sturgis Park to enjoy the show. The Julia A Purnell Museum will sell neon glow sticks, necklaces and bracelets and the Snow Hill Rotary club will sell ice cream to benefit their scholarship fund.
The evening winds up with live music by the Time Police that lasts until midnight.
The rain date for the fireworks show is July 6. Call 410-632-2080 for more information.
• Ice Cream Social:
Pocomoke River State Park will celebrate America’s independence with an ice cream social on Saturday, July 5 at 2 p.m. at the park at 3461 Worcester Highway. Call 410-632-2566 for more information.
• Patriotic Concert:
The Town of Snow Hill and Arts on the River will host a patriotic concert next Friday, July 11, at Byrd Park.
The 229th Maryland Army National Guard Band from Parkville will start playing its patriotic show at 4 p.m. Bring a blanket or lawn chair to enjoy the free show on the Pocomoke River on Ball Park Road, just off Market Street.
Ocean City
• Downtown Concert and Fireworks:
A free concert on the beach at North Division Street in downtown Ocean City featuring Frankie & The Pack with Trish Curreri’s Perfectly Patsy will now start at 8 p.m. on Saturday. A fireworks show will follow at 9:30 p.m. The event was originally scheduled for July 4, but it was moved due to projected inclement weather.
Ocean City’s Mayor Rick Meehan called the July 4 celebration “a unique opportunity to watch fireworks sparkle over the ocean.”
“The celebration will also be the first time we have used our brand new stage at Caroline Street, so bring your beach chair or blanket and claim a spot on the beach for a special and patriotic display,” Meehan said.
Food will be available from Boardwalk vendors.
Call 1-800-626-2326 or 410-250-0125 for more information.
• Uptown Concert and Fireworks:
At Northside Park on 125th Street, U.S. Army Band Downrange kicks off a free concert, now set for Saturday, at 8 p.m. followed by a fireworks show at 9:30 p.m. Ten-year-old Baylee Morrison will lead the patriotic show with the National Anthem.
“You’ll hear the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ throughout the park as families watch the colorful displays light up the evening sky,” Meehan said. “We encourage spectators to get there early to claim their spot to watch the fireworks,” which visitors can catch from anywhere in the park.
Call 1-800-626-2326 or 410-250-0125 for more information.
• Hot Dog-Eating Contest:
Stop by Fish Tales Bar & Grill on 22nd Street Friday at 2 p.m. to see incredible eating feats as 20 competitors race in the seventh annual Independence Day “Top Dog” hot dog-eating contest.
Contestants will go head-to-head onstage in the restaurant’s parking lot in a 10-minute event modeled after Nathan’s famous Fourth of July international contest. The “top dog” will take home a $1,000 prize and trophy and there will be cash prizes for second and third place.
Fish Tales and Coors Light are sponsoring the event and Dietz & Watson will supply the hot dogs. Hot dogs will be on sale during the contest.
• Parking and Boating:
Visitors should note that the Town of Ocean City is changing its parking in the inlet lot on July 5 now because of threatening weather on July 4, and will charge a $50 flat fee for all-day parking. Visitors can arrive as early as 5:30 a.m. and stay until midnight without paying the hourly rate. The fee is good for one entry only. Those arriving after 3 p.m. pay $30 for the one-entry fee.
Once the inlet lot is full, visitors should seek neighboring parking lots on Worcester Street, Somerset Street, Dorchester Street, North Division Street, Fourth Street and the West Ocean City Park & Ride.
Because parking is extremely limited at the downtown and uptown fireworks show locations, the town recommends that visitors take the bus. The West Ocean City Park & Ride on Route 50 is just west of the Route 50 Bridge and offers free parking and $3 ride-all-day shuttle service to downtown.
Normal ticketed parking operations will begin again at midnight on July 6.
Area boaters should also note that on the evening of July 5, the span of the Route 50 Bridge will remain closed to marine traffic at the usually scheduled 10:25 p.m. and 10:55 p.m. opening times. The Route 50 Bridge will reopen for boaters at 11:25 p.m.
Here are a few events going on in the area this weekend:
Ocean Pines
• Freedom 5K:
Ocean Pines kicks off its Independence Day celebration Friday, weather pending, with a Freedom 5K open to all ages. The fun run event starts at 8 a.m. in the Veterans Memorial Park on Racetrack Road. Organizers encourage runners to support the military by wearing red, white and blue while they wind their way through the course.
Registration costs $30 at the event and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Home of the Brave, an organization devoted to reducing homelessness among veterans.
• Pool Party:
Ocean Pines will host its family-friendly July4 celebration Friday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Sports Core Pool on Cathell Road.
An entry fee of $5 gets guests an armband good for unlimited play on the moon bounce and water slides. There will be a DJ, face painting, carnival-style games and refreshments. Adults without memberships will be required to pay $7 and children aged 5-17, $5. Add $1 for non-residents.
• Fireworks:
After a day of fun at the pool or beach, take part in a free fireworks show Friday night in Showell Park, weather permitting, across from the Showell Elementary School on Route 589. Free parking will be available at Showell Elementary, Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic School, St. John Neumann Catholic Church, Community Church at Ocean Pines and The Pavilions. Visitors are encouraged to watch the display from these locations.
Snow Hill
• Fireworks and Celebration:
The Snow Hill Area Chamber of Commerce with the town’s Volunteer Fire Company and Snow Hill present its annual Independence Day celebration on Saturday, July 5, in Sturgis Park on River Street. There will be food, fun and activities for the whole family at the free event.
The day kicks off with the eighth annual Canoe Joust on the Pocomoke River. Registration starts at 5:30 a.m. and the joust begins at 11:30 a.m.
Food and beverage vendors will be on hand throughout the day with classic July 4 cuisine and beer. For children, there will be a moon bounce and other activities and Lollipop the Clown will provide entertainment.
At approximately 9:15 p.m., fireworks light up the sky from Byrd Park over the Pocomoke River. Guests should bring their own lawn chairs or blankets to Sturgis Park to enjoy the show. The Julia A Purnell Museum will sell neon glow sticks, necklaces and bracelets and the Snow Hill Rotary club will sell ice cream to benefit their scholarship fund.
The evening winds up with live music by the Time Police that lasts until midnight.
The rain date for the fireworks show is July 6. Call 410-632-2080 for more information.
• Ice Cream Social:
Pocomoke River State Park will celebrate America’s independence with an ice cream social on Saturday, July 5 at 2 p.m. at the park at 3461 Worcester Highway. Call 410-632-2566 for more information.
• Patriotic Concert:
The Town of Snow Hill and Arts on the River will host a patriotic concert next Friday, July 11, at Byrd Park.
The 229th Maryland Army National Guard Band from Parkville will start playing its patriotic show at 4 p.m. Bring a blanket or lawn chair to enjoy the free show on the Pocomoke River on Ball Park Road, just off Market Street.
Ocean City
• Downtown Concert and Fireworks:
A free concert on the beach at North Division Street in downtown Ocean City featuring Frankie & The Pack with Trish Curreri’s Perfectly Patsy will now start at 8 p.m. on Saturday. A fireworks show will follow at 9:30 p.m. The event was originally scheduled for July 4, but it was moved due to projected inclement weather.
Ocean City’s Mayor Rick Meehan called the July 4 celebration “a unique opportunity to watch fireworks sparkle over the ocean.”
“The celebration will also be the first time we have used our brand new stage at Caroline Street, so bring your beach chair or blanket and claim a spot on the beach for a special and patriotic display,” Meehan said.
Food will be available from Boardwalk vendors.
Call 1-800-626-2326 or 410-250-0125 for more information.
• Uptown Concert and Fireworks:
At Northside Park on 125th Street, U.S. Army Band Downrange kicks off a free concert, now set for Saturday, at 8 p.m. followed by a fireworks show at 9:30 p.m. Ten-year-old Baylee Morrison will lead the patriotic show with the National Anthem.
“You’ll hear the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ throughout the park as families watch the colorful displays light up the evening sky,” Meehan said. “We encourage spectators to get there early to claim their spot to watch the fireworks,” which visitors can catch from anywhere in the park.
Call 1-800-626-2326 or 410-250-0125 for more information.
• Hot Dog-Eating Contest:
Stop by Fish Tales Bar & Grill on 22nd Street Friday at 2 p.m. to see incredible eating feats as 20 competitors race in the seventh annual Independence Day “Top Dog” hot dog-eating contest.
Contestants will go head-to-head onstage in the restaurant’s parking lot in a 10-minute event modeled after Nathan’s famous Fourth of July international contest. The “top dog” will take home a $1,000 prize and trophy and there will be cash prizes for second and third place.
Fish Tales and Coors Light are sponsoring the event and Dietz & Watson will supply the hot dogs. Hot dogs will be on sale during the contest.
• Parking and Boating:
Visitors should note that the Town of Ocean City is changing its parking in the inlet lot on July 5 now because of threatening weather on July 4, and will charge a $50 flat fee for all-day parking. Visitors can arrive as early as 5:30 a.m. and stay until midnight without paying the hourly rate. The fee is good for one entry only. Those arriving after 3 p.m. pay $30 for the one-entry fee.
Once the inlet lot is full, visitors should seek neighboring parking lots on Worcester Street, Somerset Street, Dorchester Street, North Division Street, Fourth Street and the West Ocean City Park & Ride.
Because parking is extremely limited at the downtown and uptown fireworks show locations, the town recommends that visitors take the bus. The West Ocean City Park & Ride on Route 50 is just west of the Route 50 Bridge and offers free parking and $3 ride-all-day shuttle service to downtown.
Normal ticketed parking operations will begin again at midnight on July 6.
Area boaters should also note that on the evening of July 5, the span of the Route 50 Bridge will remain closed to marine traffic at the usually scheduled 10:25 p.m. and 10:55 p.m. opening times. The Route 50 Bridge will reopen for boaters at 11:25 p.m.