It’s Independence Day in America, which means a day full of flags, fun, and fireworks…with slight variations depending on which of several Harford County celebrations you may attend.
The Darlington celebration was up first (June 28), with an old fashioned parade through the village and fireworks on a bucolic hillside in Francis Silver Park, where patrons can lay down blankets picnic-style to view the evening incendiaries.
Fourth of July in Bel Air (July 4) commences with pancake-eating, horseshoe-pitching, and a host of other events spread out at Rockfield Manor and Shamrock Park, followed by a parade down Main Street, and then the obligatory fireworks at dusk.
Kingsville celebrates (July 4) with a patriotic morning parade at the Belair, Jerusalem and Bradshaw Roads intersection triangle and includes the Pledge of Allegiance, the playing of the Star Spangled Banner, and plenty of paraders tossing candy at patrons.
Havre de Grace celebrates (July 5) with a week-long carnival, parade through downtown, concert at the city Yacht Basin, and fireworks with a waterfront view from Tydings Park.
Which local 4th of July festivities do you attend in Harford County and why?
I prefer the Darlington Independence Day Parade and fireworks. It just has the down home, neighborly feeling to it. Granted the popularity in recent years has grown along with the traffic, but it still maintains a quaint atmosphere where folks say hi whether they know you or not. Great job to the volunteers that help make it such a success!!
I like to go to Bel air, there’s nothing like a parade with nothing but new cars from Jones Junction. Not enough fire trucks in Bel Air.
Bel Air parade was good this year. Fireworks were the worst that I have seen in the last 5 years. Not sure if some of the fireworks didn’t go off as planned or what.
I like the Havre DeGrace carnival because It is full if white trash and wanna be gangsters.
None – because all you have up here are these phony gatherings and parades injected with nothing but Corporate Sponsorship. *See the Jones Junction comment…
The so-called “festivities” are laughable, at best… (see the HdG Carnival comment). Trying to fight your way to see them in Bel Air is simply not worth the headache. Poor traffic management, drunk idiots in the road…and if you do find a spot on the nearby field, it is full of hippie teenagers smoking dope.
If the wanna be thugs and gangsta’s don’t get you, the white trash will…if they miss, them the pompous rich, white-house wives from Bel Air will!
Fireworks? A complete joke…