FeedsFireworks, concert add to July 4 celebrations
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More than 4,000 Plymouth community residents are expected to eat hot dogs and play games during the annual Good Old Fashioned Picnic. The cookout is one of several 4th of July events in the Plymouth community.The Plymouth community celebration of America’s independence will begin early.
Hundreds are expected to see the rockets red glare light up the skies above Plymouth Township Park tonight at the first community fireworks show in more than a decade.
“This is the first (fireworks show) in 11 years,” said Plymouth Township Treasurer Ron Edwards, who was able to raise more than $20,000 in donations from township and community businesses, organizations and individuals to pay for the 30-minute Zambelli fireworks show. No city or township taxpayer money will be used to pay for the event, Edwards added.
The event which begins at 10 p.m. is considered the beginning of a myriad of holiday activity that includes a parade, community picnic and concert. And according to Fred Hill, the organizer of the Kiwanis of Colonial Plymouth Good Morning U.S.A Parade, a much welcomed part of the celebration.
“(The fireworks) makes the whole community stronger, better and more fun. All the events add to the festive atmosphere,” said Hill, who expects more than 1,000 people to participate in the 12th annual parade.
Hill who has organized and performed in parades throughout the country including the Fiesta Bowl and Indianapolis 500, said the crowds should expect to see bands, drill teams, Monster Trucks and war veterans. It’s what you won’t see that makes the Plymouth parade unique.
“The parade never has a grand marshal,” said Hill, who values the participation of all who march and does not see the need of identifying a person as a special dignitary during the parade. “Everyone in the parade is a grand marshal,” he added.
The Independence Day parade route will begin from Main and Theodore streets and proceed south to Hartsough Street going past the War Veterans Memorial Park.
The parade is famous throughout southeastern Michigan not only for its diverse line-up of entertainers, but also for the early wake up start time of 7:30 a.m.
“We have to be the first parade around…who else would be that crazy,” Hill quipped.
After the parade, the community is invited to return to Plymouth Township Park for the annual Good Old Fashioned Picnic.
Keeping with tradition, the hot dogs, chips, soda and ice cream available during the event cost a nickel, however, according to Edwards, the picnic has a few new events.
Two of the communities newest businesses, Grand Traverse Pie Co. and Leo’s Coney Island will sponsor a pie eating and hot dog eating contest, respectively. Mustang Racing Technology will have racecars on site as well as Plymouth Township Police vehicles and a fire truck from the Plymouth Community Fire Department.
In the interest of reserving the 1,500 parking spaces available at the park for community residents, township officials are asking that only Plymouth and Plymouth Township residents attend the fireworks show and the picnic. The township is prepared to feed 4,000 people.
The 4th of July celebration will close with a concert by Steve King and the Dittlies in Kellogg Park as part of the Plymouth Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Music in the Air Concert Series.
The second 4th of July parade in the area begins in downtown Northville at 10 a.m. Sponsored by the Northville Community Foundation, the event usually draws about 30,000 spectators, according to Executive Director Shari Peters.
“It’s a lot of fun for everyone,” she noted. “We start planning the year before to ensure that it is a really great event.”
That parade, too, is free. It begins at Northville Downs Race Track at Sheldon and Seven Mile and winds down Main Street through downtown Northville. The complete Northville parade line up can be found in the special section of today’s Journal.
John Buzuvis, the deputy operations director for the Plymouth DDA, said the events in the Plymouth community are causing residents to reconsider their weekend travel plans.
“I talked to several families who plan to take their weekend vacations right here (in Plymouth),” said Buzuvis, who cited gas prices as the reason many city and township residents may turn to the events at the local parks.
“People want to have a good time, but they don’t want to go broke doing it. They can have a little vacation in Plymouth.”
