From the Darlington Independence Day Committee:
When: Saturday, June 25, 2011
Where: Main Street in Darlington to Francis Silver Park on Shuresville Road
It’s that time of year and once again the Historic Village of Darlington will get the celebration started with a parade and fireworks this coming Saturday, June 25. Line up for the parade begins at 4:00pm at the Weigh Station on Route 1. The parade steps off at 5:30pm and will progress down Main Street (Route 161) in Darlington to Francis Silver Park on Shuresville Road.
Once in the Park, fairgoers will be treated to free entertainment and great food. Food vendors are both local businesses and give back a portion of their profits to help with costs. “Funtastic Foods” will be serving up a full menu of fun festival fare. “Cows on the Loose” will offer a fine line of local dairy delights. Kira Dare, President of the Darlington Independence Day Committee, asks anyone who is buying food for their families to please buy it from these official vendors. Of course, people are welcome to bring a picnic basket if they prefer.
Entertainment will feature the Darlington Idol Contest complete with judges and cash prizes. Also, this year a Harley Davidson motor cycle will be raffled to benefit the Darlington Volunteer Fire Company. The Idol winner will pick the winning Harley ticket. But the best is saved for last. At dusk, the best fireworks in Harford County go off almost directly overhead. If you love fireworks, it’s the closest you can get!
This celebration started way back on the first Sunday in June of 1983 when the Darlington Peace Committee had an idea to sponsor a family picnic and fireworks to help celebrate Independence Day. Approximately 150 people attended that first event. Nowadays, you are urged to come early and stay late. Parking can be tricky and exit traffic is slow. Bring your own lawn chairs or a picnic blanket to sit on.
Kira Dare commented that she got involved because of her husband, Rob Dare. Rob loved the event and played guitar as part of the entertainment every year. When he passed away, Kira stayed involved as a volunteer in his memory. She says “this epitomizes one of the last small town events, at least in this part of the country. It is so charming and it’s amazing that it has been sustained given how little time people have to volunteer and how limited are the finances.” She credits the generosity of the people who live in the area and support the endeavor year after year.
Volunteers are responsible for all facets of this celebration. Kira asks participants to be thoughtful, watch their kids and clean up any litter. Also, she reminds everyone that dogs are not permitted in the park. Contributions are always welcome and volunteers are needed, especially the day of the event. She says that high school students can earn community service learning hours for a fun volunteer job.
For more information, contact Jerry Scarborough at 410-836-3506 to register for the parade or volunteer for the event. You can also “like” the Darlington Independence Day Celebration fan page on Facebook.
This is a great event. For as small as Darlington is, the fireworks show is very good.
We have enjoyed this event every year since June 1983.
This event brings the community together every year like a large extended family.
The fellowship of this event shows the good values of our small community.
We hope that you will bring your Family to this wonderful event.
I can tell you that Kira Dare & Jerry Scarborough do a wonderful job every year along with other volunteers. Please let Kira & Jerry and the other volunteers know how much you enjoy their hard work making this day of Community Fellowship enjoyable.